Yohana's Secret
by Aprotny
Summary: Yohana has always been special. But being special made Team Rocket want her, killing her parents in the process. Yohana had to run away on the night of her parents' death. There's only one other human who knows everything. Yohana's best friend, Ash Ketchum. AU. AshxOC. I do not own Pokemon.
1. Prologue

Yohana's eyes snapped open as her amplified hearing allowed her to hear the sound of an injured baby pokemon. The young brunette slowly got out of bed and put on her slippers.

Quietly, she slipped out of her bedroom and crept down the stairs, making sure to skip the steps that creaked. Once outside the house, she ran in the direction she knew the injured pokemon to be.

After about five minutes, she came upon a little female Eevee, not more than a few days old. Some Spearow were pecking at the baby pokemon, hurting it.

Yohana used her favorite pokemon move, Razor Leaf, to shoo them away. You see, Yohana was special. Gifted with pokemon powers at birth, the young girl, now five, practiced moves in secret. Only her parents and her best friend Ash knew her secret. That was about to change.

Yohana picked up the little Eevee and started back towards her home. Halfway there, she changed direction, figuring Professor Oak would be better suited to treat the Eevee.

"Yohana!" Yohana spun around to see Ash running towards her. "Yohana, everybody's searching for you!"

Yohana tilted her head. "Why? I was careful not to wake my parents when I…"

The black-haired boy grabbed her shoulders. "Yohana! Team Rocket attacked your house! They were looking for you! You need to hide! Quickly!"

Yohana gasped. "My parents! Are they…"

Ash shook his head. "It's too late for them, Yohana. They're gone." He looked around and pushed Yohana into an alleyway. "Yohana, you need to leave! You need to get far away from Pallet Town before Team Rocket finds you and does who knows what to you!" He took a deep breath. "Before you go, though, I have something I've been wanting to tell you…"

Yohana stared at him. "You do?"

"I…" Ash took another deep breath. "I… think I love you, Yohana. Like my mom and dad love each other."

Yohana gasped. "Really?"

"Yes, and I promise, Yohana, I'll never tell anyone your secret, no matter what." Ash said. "I don't want to see you leave, but it's for the best. Now go! Before someone finds us!"

Yohana nodded and turned to go, but she only took one step before turning back. "Ash?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too, Ash. Like my mom and dad loved each other. And I hope that never changes. I promise to keep in touch. Goodbye, Ash." With those words, Yohana turned and ran for the woods.

Ash watched her go. "Goodbye, Yohana."


	2. Five Years Later

**Five Years Later…**

Yohana gazed upon the peaceful town of Pallet. Today was her day. She was going to become a pokemon trainer, just like her Ash.

She pet Entei, who, with the assistance of several other legendries, had raised her over the past five years, before heading down into the valley with only her Leafeon to accompany her.

Soon, she came to Professor Oak's laboratory. She rang the doorbell and waited patiently.

Ash's mother, Delia Ketchum, opened the door. "Hello, are you looking for the Professor?"

Yohana nodded. "Yes, I'd like to register to be a pokemon trainer."

Delia blinked. "Oh. Alright. Come on in. I'll go get him."

Yohana and Leafeon stepped into the lab and waited patiently as Delia went to get the Professor.

A minute later, the three were in the part of the lab where Professor Oak gave out the starter pokemon.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like Leafeon to be my starter, please." Yohana said. "Could I have a pokeball to make it official?"

"Of course." Professor Oak said, handing Yohana a pokeball. It didn't take long at all to catch Leafeon and bring her back out. "Now, I'm going to need your name please."

Yohana took a deep breath. This was the part she was nervous about. "My name is Yohana Lee."

Professor Oak froze. Delia gasped.

"Yohana… Is it really you? No joke?" Professor Oak asked.

Yohana gave a small smile. "No joke. It's really me."

"But how? You disappeared five years ago. Nobody was able to find you that night. We thought Team Rocket took you." Delia said.

"Someone _did_ find me that night. He told me what was going on. It was thanks to him I escaped Team Rocket." Yohana said.

"Who? Who found you?" Professor Oak dared to ask.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want him to get in trouble for not telling." Yohana said. "Can we finish so I can get going on my journey?"

Delia and Professor Oak agreed and the group completed the process, registering Yohana and giving her a pokedex and some pokeballs.

"So Mrs. Ketchum, how's Ash?" Yohana asked when they were done.

Delia smiled. "He's doing great! He's already got four badges and he's looking forward to getting his fifth!"

"Well then, looks like I've got some catching up to do, don't I?" Yohana said determinedly. She turned to leave and started for the door before turning back. "Please don't tell anyone I've been here. It's important nobody knows where I've been." Delia and Professor Oak blinked in confusion. Yohana spun back around and ran for the door, calling over her shoulder. "Thanks! Bye!"

Delia and Professor Oak stood where they were for a little bit after she left.

Finally, Delia spoke. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. It's her request that puzzles me. Why wouldn't she want anyone to know where she's been?" Professor Oak replied.

"Who knows. At least we know she's alive and well." Delia said.

"Yeah." Professor Oak responded before going back to what he'd been doing before Yohana had arrived.

**Meanwhile…**

Ash and Co. continued on their way to Celadon City, but Ash's mind wasn't on travelling. No, he was thinking of something else, or some_one_ else.

"Hey, Ash." Misty said, waving a hand in front of her friend's face. "Earth to Ash."

Ash blinked and looked at her. "Yes, Misty?"

"You've been spaced out all morning. What are you thinking about?" Misty asked.

"It's nothing." Ash replied.

"'Nothing', huh? Well, we want to know what this 'nothing' is!" Misty snapped.

"Leave him alone, Misty. He obviously doesn't want to talk about it." Brock said.

"Yeah…" Ash said, spacing out again. Pikachu was the one to wave a hand in front of his face this time.

Misty hit Ash with her mallet. "Stop spacing out on us! If you have to, at least tell us what you're thinking about!"

Ash growled at her. "Fine! I'm thinking about someone I know, okay!"

"Who?" Brock couldn't contain his curiosity this time. "Do we know them?"

"Um… my… dad…" Ash mumbled.

"Your dad?" Misty asked. "Why are you thinking about him?"

"He… um… contacted me at the pokemon center we were staying at last night." Ash said, relieved that he had gotten a call last night to back up his excuse.

"What did he say?" Brock asked.

"Something private. I can't tell you." Ash replied.

"Oh." Brock said, disappointed, while Misty pulled out her mallet again.

"Misty, I'm serious! I can't tell you!" Ash said, wincing at the sight of the mallet.

Misty hit him with it. "You told us last night that you'd gotten a call from Professor Oak, not your father!"

"Nurse Joy came in when you were both asleep to tell me I had another call!" Ash made up quickly. "I had two calls last night!"

"Pika…" Pikachu could tell the boy was lying.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell us what you're _really_ thinking about?"

Ash groaned. "I told you already! I'm thinking about a girl… I mean my dad!"

Misty dropped her mallet and her mouth fell open while Brock just stared.

Brock recovered first. "So who's the lucky girl?"

Ash's cheeks were completely red from the slip-up. "Just someone I used to know. She was my best friend when we were little."

"Why just when you were little?" Brock asked.

"Something happened. She lost her parents and made a run for it. I was the last one in Pallet Town to ever see her." Ash said softly, sitting down on a tree stump. "She writes me letters every once in a while with no return address. She said she's planning to become a trainer soon. The night everything went downhill, she saved an Eevee who's now a Leafeon. She wants Leafeon to be her starter pokemon."

"What do you do with the letters? I've never seen them before. Have you received any since you left Pallet Town?" Brock asked. Misty and Pikachu were just watching and listening.

"Yes. I told my mom to forward me any that I get. My friend told me in the first letter to burn them after reading them and I've done so with each and every one I've gotten." Ash said.

"Why burn them?" Misty finally asked.

"Safety reasons." Ash responded with a shrug. "I can't really tell you any more. I promised to keep her secrets secret."

Misty and Brock exchanged glances. They wanted to know more about Ash's friend, but it was clear he was done talking about her.

Ash stood up. "Come on! Let's get going! We've still got a long way till Celadon City!"

Brock and Misty shrugged and followed the optimistic boy down the path.


	3. Yohana's First Gym Battle

"_telepathy"_

_(Poketalk)_

Yohana smiled upon seeing Pewter City in the distance. She'd already gone through Viridian City, but the trainers in the pokemon center there had told her that the Viridian Gym should be the last gym she challenges as it is not for beginners. They had told her to start with either Pewter or Cerulean. She had chosen Pewter.

So far, she had caught an Oddish, now a Gloom, whom she hoped to evolve into a Bellossom, and a Pidgey, who had already evolved into a Pidgeotto.

She hurried to the Pewter City Gym. It was early, so they probably hadn't had a challenger yet.

She opened the door and walked in, calling. "Hello? My name is Yohana and I'm here to challenge the Pewter City Gym Leader to a gym battle!"

A man entered the gym through a doorway. "It's nice to meet you, Yohana. My name's Flint and I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"Rock-types, right?" Yohana asked, confident she could win.

Flint nodded. "Right." He turned to a kid who was watching. "Forrest, care to be the referee?"

The kid, Forrest, nodded eagerly and ran to the referee's position.

"Go, Golem!" Flint called, throwing a pokeball.

"Leafeon's my choice!" Yohana said, nodding to the grass-type at her side.

"This will be a two-on-two gym battle." Forrest announced. "The first trainer to have both pokemon unable to battle loses. Only the challenger will be able to substitute pokemon during the battle. The challenger gets the first move. Ready? Go!"

"Leafeon! Use Razor Leaf!" Yohana called. Leafeon readied her attack.

"Golem! Earthquake!" Flint yelled. Golem stomped the ground hard, causing it to shake.

"Leafeon! Jump!" Yohana countered.

Leafeon jumped up into the air and released a powerful Razor Leaf. Golem was hit hard, but still managed to stand.

"Good, Leafeon! Now use Solar Beam!" Yohana called. Leafeon started to gather power for its Solar Beam.

"Quick! Use Rock Blast!" Flint shouted.

The two attacks hit at the same time, leaving anticipation as to who was left standing.

The dust cleared, revealing Golem had been knocked out, while Leafeon was breathing hard but still standing.

"Golem is unable to battle! The round goes to Yohana and Leafeon!" Forrest announced.

"Leafeon! We did it!" Yohana cheered. "You're fantastic!"

Flint smiled and returned Golem. "You did your best, Golem. I thank you for that. Remember, Yohana, the battle's not over yet! Go, Rhydon!"

A Rhydon appeared on the battlefield.

Yohana grinned. "Another rock-type? Piece of cake! Leafeon, Leaf Blade!"

"Rhydon! Dodge and use Drill Run!" Flint countered.

"Dodge and use Leaf Blade again!" Yohana grinned. This was lots of fun. "When you're done with that, use Razor Leaf!"

The second Leaf Blade hit hard and the Razor Leaf was heading towards Rhydon before it could even get up.

"Rhydon! No!" Flint cried.

"Rhydon is unable to battle! The gym battle goes to Yohana and her Leafeon!" Forrest announced.

Yohana cheered again and ran to hug her Leafeon. "Leafeon, have I ever told you how awesome you are? I'll get you a treat after you're all healed up!"

_(Yay…)_ Leafeon said, rubbing her face against Yohana's cheek.

Yohana picked her up as Flint came over with the Boulder Badge.

"Here you go, Yohana. You've earned it." Flint said. "You're quite the battler. How many badges do you have?"

"This would be my first!" Yohana answered. "But Leafeon's been hanging out with me a long time now. We were training together years before she was officially my pokemon. "

She took the Boulder Badge and raised it over her head. "Alright! I got the Boulder Badge!" She remembered something and turned to Flint and Forrest. "I was wondering if you two could do me a favor."

"A favor?" Forrest asked, confused.

"Yes, tell nobody that I've been here. It would be dangerous if someone finds out I was here. They'd know I was challenging the gyms and then they'd know where to wait for me." Yohana explained. "So please don't tell anyone I was here."

Flint and Forrest seemed confused, but agreed.

Yohana smiled and left the gym. After healing Leafeon, she saw that she had half the day left so she did some Pewter City sightseeing before heading back to the pokemon center to turn in for the night.


	4. The Dream and Yohana's Second Gym Battle

_Ash felt weak. He was riding on a large blue and purple pokemon's back, hardly able to keep his eyes open. He started to slip off but another pokemon used its snout to push him back on. He turned his head to see the blurry outline of another pokemon about the same size as the one he was riding, except the other pokemon was yellow and purple. He could hear the angry voices of pursuers. For some reason, he was being chased. As the last of his consciousness slipped away, he could hear Misty's voice, pulling him back to reality… "Ash… Ash, wake up…"_

"Ash! Ash, wake up!" Misty was shaking her friend desperately. She, Brock, and Pikachu had been trying to wake up the boy for fifteen minutes now. They were starting to get worried.

Ash's eyes popped open and he sat up quickly. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu jumped in surprise before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Ash! Don't worry us like that!" Brock scolded.

"Huh?" Ash said, confused.

"You wouldn't wake up! We tried almost everything! I used my mallet and Pikachu used his thunderbolt, but you didn't respond at all!" Misty said.

"Sorry." Ash said. "I didn't mean to. I was having a nightmare."

Misty and Brock exchanged glanced, while Pikachu gave a worried "Pika…"

"What was your nightmare about, Ash?" Brock asked.

"I was riding a blue and purple pokemon and I was barely conscious. There was a yellow and purple pokemon running alongside that was helping me stay on. I was being chased, but I don't know who by. Then, I heard Misty's voice and I woke up." Ash explained. "I don't understand though. Who were those pokemon? I couldn't see them clearly so I couldn't recognize them. Who were we running from and why was I so weak?"

"Something tells me you'll find out eventually, Ash. For now, it's time for breakfast." Brock said.

Ash immediately perked up, his nightmare forgotten. "Alright!" He jumped up and ran to the breakfast table, where he started gobbling down his share.

Brock, Misty, and Pikachu sweatdropped before joining him, but not eating quite as quickly.

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana smiled as Cerulean City came into view. It had only taken a few hours to get there and she was psyched and ready for her gym battle.

First, though, she wanted to mail a letter.

Humming to herself, she searched for a mailbox. Seeing one, she started running towards it, but crashed into a blonde teenager by accident.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The blonde said.

"Sorry! I was going to mail this letter and saw the mailbox and wasn't paying attention to anything but that!" Yohana said. She placed the letter in the mailbox. "There. You wouldn't happen to know where the gym is, do you ma'am?"

"Actually, I'm one of the gym leaders!" The blonde told her. "My name's Daisy. Would you like a badge?"

"Of course! Where's the…" Yohana began, but stopped mid-sentence when Daisy held out a badge to her. "Wait, you're just going to give it to me?"

"Yeah. There's no need to have a battle for it." Daisy said.

Yohana felt angry. "What kind of gym leader are you, just handing out free badges like that? I'd like to earn my badges, thank you very much!"

"Fine. Fine. We'll have a battle. Follow me." Daisy led the way to the pokemon gym. "Welcome to the Cerulean City Gym."

Yohana looked around with a smile before going to her side of the battlefield.

"Is a one on one good with you?" Daisy asked.

"Um… okay…" Yohana said before thinking silently. 'At least it's a battle and not a free badge.'

"Go! Seaking!" Daisy called out her pokemon.

Yohana thought to herself. 'Leafeon would have a type advantage, probably a level advantage too, but I want to try out some of my other pokemon in gym battles. Let's give Gloom a chance."

"Go! Gloom!" She threw a pokeball.

Daisy glanced at the Leafeon at Yohana's side before shrugging at the choice. "You can make the first move."

"Okay! Gloom, let's start with Acid!" Yohana shouted.

Daisy shrugged again. "Seaking, Horn Drill."

"Gloom! Dodge and use Mega Drain!" Yohana saw how fast the battle was ending and sighed. She realized not all gym battles were fun like her one with Flint was. "Use Acid to end it, Gloom!"

A few minutes later, Yohana stepped outside with the Cascade Badge in the badge case she'd bought.

"That… was boring." She told Leafeon as they walked towards the pokemon center. "No offense to Gloom, though. It was Daisy's fault it was boring. I guess they just don't care about gym battles here."

She had her pokemon healed and went sight-seeing again. This time though, she got the feeling she was being watched.

She just hoped Team Rocket hadn't discovered her position. It would be really bad if they did.

She sighed and headed back to the pokemon center for a good night's sleep.


	5. Captured

Ash tossed and turned, having the same nightmare as the night before. Little did he know that at that very moment Team Rocket was spraying sleeping gas in his face, picking him up, and taking him to Giovanni. Little did he know what was going to happen next.

**The next morning…**

Misty yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She was surprised at what she saw.

_(Ash, where are you?)_ Pikachu was darting all over the camp, searching for his trainer.

"Ash! Ash, where are you?" Brock had already woken up and joined the search. He noticed that Misty was awake. "Misty, Ash is missing!"

"What?" Misty scurried out of her sleeping bag. "Ash! This isn't funny! Where are you?"

They spent most of the morning searching the surrounding area and even called the nearest Officer Jenny to let her know, but they had no luck whatsoever.

Ash was gone.

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana was an hour's walk from Cerulean City when Team Rocket surrounded her.

She had taken down about half of them when their leader's words stopped her in her tracks.

"Stop, if you ever want to see your boyfriend again."

Yohana turned to look at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Recognize the name 'Ash Ketchum'?" The leader sneered, watching as worry entered Yohana's eyes. "Black hair, brown eyes, sound familiar?" He pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "The one you were sending this letter to."

Yohana gasped. "How did you get that?"

"Simple. We pulled it out of the mailbox after you left the scene." The leader smirked. "It wasn't difficult to capture your boyfriend. He was fast asleep, as well as his friends. We distracted his Pikachu with a Houndoom and used sleeping gas to ensure that the boy wouldn't wake up while we were transporting to headquarters."

Yohana tightened her hands, which were in fists. "What do you want from me?"

The leader smiled at her devilishly. "Simple. We want you to join Team Rocket."

**(a/n) I know, shorter than my other chapters but this seemed like the perfect place to end, with a cliffhanger and everything! (end a/n)**


	6. Mission Briefing and Confrontation

**Two days later…**

Yohana sighed as she put on her new Team Rocket uniform over her clothes. She'd never wanted this to happen, but she just couldn't lose her Ash.

"The boss wants to see you." A Team Rocket agent told her when she was done.

Yohana nodded. "I'm coming." She glanced once more in the mirror before following the agent to the boss's office. Stepping inside, she said. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Giovanni smirked at her. "I have a mission for you."

Yohana gulped. "You do?"

Giovanni nodded. "You are to capture Entei."

Yohana's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

Giovanni's smirk deepened. "That is… unless you want to lose your precious boyfriend…"

Yohana trembled. She was stuck in between her loyalty to Ash and her loyalty to the pokemon who had raised her over the past five years. What should she do?

"You have a week. Fail and your boyfriend dies." Giovanni told her. "Now go."

Yohana bowed her head and started to leave the room uneasily. Then, she thought of something.

Turning back, she spoke quietly. "Before I leave, may I please see him? Just one time?"

Giovanni thought that over for a moment. "Fine, but don't you dare try anything. Cassidy, lead her to the boy."

Yohana followed a blonde agent deemed Cassidy down to the dungeons. She soon found that it certainly wouldn't be easy to rescue Ash as he was being held in one of the most high-security cells there.

Cassidy spoke to the guards, who opened the cell for them. Yohana hesitated before stepping inside.

"You have ten minutes. Make it quick." Cassidy told her.

Yohana gave a small nod showing she understood before the cell door was closed behind her. She looked around and finally spotted her best friend huddled in a corner. The boy looked a little different than when she last saw him, which was no surprise since it had been five years since that day she was forced to flee Pallet Town.

"Ash?" She whispered.

"What do you want?" Ash snapped weakly.

"It's me. Yohana." Yohana told him.

Ash's eyes widened and he looked away. "You're lying. Yohana would never join Team Rocket."

Yohana gulped. "She would if they threatened to kill her best friend if she didn't." Ash slowly looked back at her as she dropped to her knees. "I'm sorry, Ash! They said they'd kill you! I couldn't let them! And now they want me to capture Entei! What do I do, Ash? I don't know what to do!"

Ash crawled over to the now crying girl. "Yohana. Don't capture Entei. He's cared for you more than I have over the past few years. Don't betray him."

"But Entei can escape, Ash! You can't!" Yohana pointed out.

"I don't care, Yohana! Don't misuse Entei's trust!" Ash begged. "Entei doesn't deserve to be captured!"

Yohana stood up. "I won't let them kill you, Ash. That's final."

She knocked on the door to signal she was done. As she left the cell, she glanced back at Ash one last time. The boy was staring at her sadly, begging with his eyes for her to listen to him.

Yohana looked away as the door closed behind her.


	7. Phase One

Yohana approached her caretaker quietly, holding an electric net provided by Team Rocket.

"_Entei."_ She said telepathically. _"Listen. My friend is in danger. Team Rocket has him captive and is threatening to kill him if I don't do everything they say. They want to capture you. Do you think you, Suicune, and Raikou can…"_

Entei roared. _(Alright, Yohana. We will allow you to capture us and then we will rescue your friend.)_

"_Thank you, Entei. I promise I'll repay you for this someday."_ Yohana grinned and threw the net.

Suicune and Raikou appeared, allowing themselves to be captured as well upon hearing Yohana's plan from Entei.

Yohana bit her lower lip. What if the plan didn't work? What if she lost everything due to her attempts to save everybody?

She hoped everything would work out right.

**Meanwhile…**

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Yohana, boy." Giovanni hissed as Ash was held by two grunts. A third grunt stood behind Ash, holding a whip that soon came down on the boy's back. "Now."

"I don't know anything about Yohana. I haven't seen her in five years." Ash said, receiving another whipping.

"You might not have seen her, but you have heard from her." Giovanni replied, smirking.

"What makes you think I've heard from her?" Ash asked, glaring at him.

"My agents acquired a letter from her that had just been put in a mailbox. Your name was on it." Giovanni told him. "The information inside proved that you had been in contact with her for quite a while."

Worry entered Ash's eyes. "That doesn't mean she tells me everything."

"Tell me what you do know." Giovanni commanded, nodding to the third grunt to give the boy another whipping. "I'm not giving you a choice, boy. My deal with Yohana forces us to keep you alive, but that doesn't mean we can't injure you."

Ash winced. "I'm not telling you anything."

The boy was whipped until he could barely stand, but he still refused to give information.

"That's enough." Giovanni finally said. "Any more and we'll kill him, and that won't help us at all. Take him back to his cell."

Red spots covered Ash's vision as he was escorted back to his cell. He could only hope that Yohana had a plan to get him out of there or that he died soon.

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana led the way into Team Rocket Headquarters with the three legendary beasts in tow. The other grunts looked jealous at her success. The young girl went straight to the boss's office.

"You were quite successful, Yohana. You came back with more than you were told to get." Giovanni was pleased. "You deserve a promotion." He nodded to some other grunts in the room. "Take those three beasts to the pokemon storage. I'll deal with them later."

Yohana sent the directions down to Ash's cell and what her friend looked like to the minds of all three beasts via telepathy. They glanced back at her as they were taken away.

Yohana tuned out Giovanni's words of congratulations and promotion, only listening when he said she could go back to her room.

She hurried there as fast as she could, arriving just as the alarm went off.

Quickly, she changed into her normal clothes and raced towards the pokemon storage area, where she helped Entei free the captured pokemon, praying with everything she had that Suicune and Raikou would be able to get to Ash in time.

**Meanwhile…**

"This is Yohana's fault! Poison the boy! She'll think she's saved him only to watch him die!" Giovanni told Ash's guards via walkie-talkie.

One guard nodded to the other and they opened the cell door.

Ash made a weak attempt to escape when the door opened, but failed.

The first guard held the boy still, while the second guard inserted the poison into Ash's bloodstream.

The boy fell to his knees. It was then that Suicune and Raikou arrived. The two beasts killed the guards and Raikou lifted Ash onto Suicune's back.

They ran for the exit.


	8. Escape

Ash was trapped in his nightmare again, but it felt so much more real. Pain swept through his body as he weakly tried to hold onto the pokemon's body. He felt himself slipping, but, just like every other time he'd had the dream, the other pokemon nosed him back on.

His eyes closed as he felt himself fading. He knew this was when he would wake up, but, for a reason he didn't realize, he didn't.

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana rode Entei swiftly out of the building, her pokemon all in their pokeballs on her belt. All of the prisoners had been rescued and were now running for freedom. Soon, all the former-prisoners were out of the building.

Entei turned his head back, shot out a column of fire, and roared. _(Let it burn!)_

Yohana turned back and gasped. "Entei!"

Entei didn't look at her as he continued running. _(Don't say they don't deserve it, Yohana. All the innocents are out. Let the Rockets suffer.)_

Yohana whimpered and looked away. At least Ash was safe.

**Meanwhile…**

Suicune and Raikou stopped in a meadow. Seeing Ash's condition, they roared at the local pokemon to bring them Pecha berries and step on it.

A Pidgey used its beak to stir the Pecha berries together and spoon it into the boy's mouth.

Suicune turned to Raikou. _(He's still fading. We need Celebi.)_

Raikou agreed. _(I'll tell Yohana. She can call Celebi for us.)_ He roared loudly. _(Yohana! We need Celebi! Now!)_

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana heard Raikou's request and, using an amulet she'd gotten on her tenth birthday, summoned Celebi.

"Celebi! I need you to find Suicune and Raikou and help them! Hurry!" Yohana begged, knowing this was about Ash. "And tell them we'll meet them near Pallet Town!" (a/n Team Rocket's headquarters is in Viridian for those of you who don't know a/n)

Celebi hurried to the meadow where Suicune, Raikou, and Ash were and helped with the boy's healing, which took a couple of hours due to the extra complications caused by the poison.

She left shortly after the boy woke up, stating. _(My work here is done.)_

"Wha… what happened?" Ash mumbled."Wh… where am I?"

Raikou once again lifted the boy, who was alive but still somewhat weak, onto Suicune's back. _(Come on. Let's meet up with Yohana and Entei.)_

_(Right.)_ Suicune agreed and they set off for Pallet Town.


	9. Pallet Town Again

Yohana waited impatiently for Suicune and Raikou to arrive with Ash. She was super worried about her friend. Raikou's request for Celebi made her sure he was in trouble.

The young girl was pacing back and forth, Entei and Leafeon watching, when the three finally came into view. She ran up to meet them.

"Is he…" She began anxiously.

_(He came close and he's still a little weak from it, but he will be just fine.)_ Raikou told her. _(He is resting now.)_

Yohana gave a sigh of relief and hurried to Suicune's side.

Ash opened his eyes and, seeing his friend, slid off of the pokemon's back.

Yohana steadied him as he nearly fell over. The two shared a well-deserved hug.

"Thank you, Yohana. I already thanked the big pokemon and the smaller one, but I feel the need to thank you as well." Ash whispered.

"The blue one is Suicune and the yellow one is Raikou." Yohana told him, smiling at his description of them. "The small one you were talking about was Celebi and the brown pokemon behind me is Entei."

"Suicune, Raikou, Celebi, and Entei." Ash said. "Perfect names for legendries." He pulled away. "My friends, Misty and Brock, must be worried sick about me. They've probably contacted the local Officer Jenny by now. What do we do?"

"Well, first, we need to contact your friends to let them know you're all right. Then, we'll head to their location. I'm sure Entei, Raikou, and Suicune can help us get there fast, am I right?" Yohana said, looking to the three legendries for confirmation. The three beasts agreed.

"But how do we contact my friends? I don't know exactly where they're at." Ash asked.

"Didn't you just tell me they'd have contacted the local police by now? We can go to the Pallet Town Police Station and they can help us." Yohana suggested.

"Pallet Town? In that case, I know a better way to contact them." Ash said.

**Ten minutes later…**

Ash knocked on the door of Professor Oak's lab. Yohana and her Leafeon stood slightly hidden behind him, as Yohana was nervous about coming back here so soon.

Once again, it was Delia that opened the door. Within seconds, poor Ash was being squeezed tightly by his over relieved mother.

"Ash! I heard you'd gone missing and I was so worried!" She cried. She pulled away and examined him. "What happened to you? Are you okay? You have some explaining to do, young man!"

Yohana was watching silently when her heightened senses suddenly picked up someone asking about her and Ash a couple of blocks away. She shoved Ash and Delia into the house and let Leafeon follow before slamming the door shut behind them and bolting it. She then shut all the blinds with her psychic powers.

She spun around to face Delia and shouted. "Hide us! Quickly!"

Delia blinked in surprise as she hadn't even noticed Yohana was there until a few moments ago. Ash, on the other hand, quickly reacted.

"Is it Team Rocket? Are they here? Are they looking for us?" He asked frantically. Yohana just nodded. Ash turned to face his mom. "Mom! Hide us! Hurry!"

"What's wrong?" Delia asked, confused.

"Hide us!" Ash and Yohana screamed.

Delia nodded and led them to Professor Oak's most secret hiding place.

"Cover for us, okay?" Ash told her.

Delia nodded, still confused. She closed the trapdoor behind them and put the rug over it.

Ash and Yohana heard Team Rocket break in, but only Yohana could make out the words.

"We're looking for these two kids." Team Rocket said.

"What do you want from them?" Delia asked, uncertainly.

"Answer our question!" Team Rocket shouted.

"I haven't seen them." Delia replied. "Not recently, at least. As far as I know, they're both on pokemon journeys through Kanto."

There was a loud thump. "Tell us everything you know or Nidoking will attack."

"Um… I know the girl has a Leafeon and that the boy went missing recently, but no one knows what happened to him…"

"Tell us more."

"Um…"

The sound of sirens filled the air. The police had arrived.

"What's going on up there?" Ash whispered.

"The police just got here. I guess Professor Oak called them." Yohana told him.

They waited a little while. Finally, the trapdoor opened and Delia peered down at them.

"It's safe to come out now." She said.

Ash climbed the ladder, Yohana not far behind.

Officer Jenny and Professor Oak just stared, making it obvious that Delia hadn't yet told them that the two had been down there.

"Are you okay? We heard…" Yohana began.

"I'm fine. How about you two?" Delia asked.

"We're okay." Ash said.

"What did they want with you?" Officer Jenny asked, stepping forward.

"They want to make me work for them." Yohana said. "And they were using Ash to make me do so. We escaped earlier today."

"We came here to let everyone know we were all right and hopefully find out where Brock and Misty are so we can meet up with them." Ash added.

Delia gave him a look that made it obvious she was scared to send him back on his journey.

Professor Oak didn't notice. "They made it to Celadon City and are hoping to rendezvous with you there. I'll have them send me your pokemon so that you'll be safe on your way to Celadon."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Professor."

"Are you sure it's safe, Ash?" Delia asked. "I don't want Team Rocket to hurt you."

"I'll be fine." Ash assured her. "If worse comes to worst, Yohana can protect me."

Delia glanced at Yohana. "Are you absolutely positive, Ash?"

Ash nodded. "Yep. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Okay, Ash… I trust you, but promise to be careful." Delia said.

"I promise, Mom." Ash smiled at her. "You have no need to worry."


	10. Training Begin

"Yohana, it's getting late. Shouldn't we stop for the night?" Ash asked.

It had been hours since they'd left Pallet Town and the group was starting to get tired.

"You're right, Ash. No doubt Entei, Suicune, and Raikou are more tired than we are." Yohana agreed. "We'll stop at the next clearing."

Moments later, Ash, Yohana, and Leafeon slid off Entei and Suicune's backs and began to set up camp.

"Do you think it would be best to take turns keeping watch?" Ash asked. "We'd be safer that way."

_(I agree with your friend, Yohana.)_ Entei growled. _(Better safe than sorry.)_

Suicune and Raikou growled their agreement as well.

"We all agree that might be best." Yohana said. "We'll have to post a guard tomorrow too, since we won't be travelling."

"What do you mean, Yohana? I thought the plan was to get to Celadon City as quickly and stealthily as possible." Ash said, confused.

"Change of plan. We'll be travelling every other day. The rest of the time will be used to train." Yohana, who had been pitching a tent, turned to her best friend. "You need to know how to fight."

Ash stared at her. "What?"

"Ash, you're in danger now. Team Rocket will be trying to kill you. Both with guns, and with pokemon." Yohana said. "You need to know how to dodge and how to fight back, and it won't be easy."

Ash stayed silent, processing what Yohana had just said. The fact was: she was right. He was going to need help if he was going to survive, and Yohana knew just the way to do it.

**In Celadon City…**

"I'm worried about Ash." Misty said, catching Brock's attention. "Sure, he has his pokemon with him now, but will that be enough to safely get him here to Celadon? He doesn't have Pikachu to protect him, or us to keep him from doing something stupid."

"It is worrisome, but Ash is old enough to care for himself. He'll be fine." Brock assured her.

"Brock, what if he doesn't make it?" Misty whispered. "I'm scared we'll never see him again."

Brock stared at her. "There's always that chance, Misty, but Ash is a strong boy. I'm sure we'll see him again soon."

"I hope you're right, Brock." Misty said. "I really hope you're right."

**The next morning…**

"Yohana! Up and at 'em!" Ash called.

"Five more minutes…" Yohana mumbled.

Ash sighed and threw a pokeball. "Some things never change. Squirtle, Water Gun Attack."

"Huh?" Yohana murmured. Within seconds, she was completely soaked. She sat up and glared at Ash. "Not funny, Ash!"

Both Ash and Squirtle burst into laughter at the look on her face.

"You asked for it!" Yohana shouted, and used a water attack on Ash and Squirtle.

Ash groaned. "I should have seen that coming."

Entei padded over to them. _(Enough fun. We have work to do.)_

"Aw!" Yohana moaned.

"What did he say?" Ash asked.

"He said we have work to do." Yohana told him.

"Can we have breakfast first?" Ash begged. "I can't train on an empty stomach." His stomach growled on cue.

Yohana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Food first, training later. Five years and you're still the same Ash."

Ash blushed. "I thought you loved me!"

"I never said I didn't! Let's go eat so we can start training you to protect yourself!" Yohana said, and the two ran to the breakfast table.

**Later…**

"Your dodging skills have really improved in the few hours we've been training, Ash. You've always been a fast learner." Yohana complimented as they ate their lunch.

Ash blushed again. "Thanks, Yohana. You and Squirtle have helped a lot today. So, what's next?"

Yohana lowered her sandwich. "Ash, do you remember what we discovered about you when we were three?" Ash shook his head. "That you could use aura?"

Ash froze as the memory slowly came to mind. "Now I remember. Why do you mention it?"

"It will be an important defense when you're not able to dodge. It will also be a good offense when you need it to be." Yohana said. "Raikou went to find a Lucario to help train you. He should be back by nightfall. Because of the addition to the team, we're only going to travel until lunchtime tomorrow. Then, we'll start training your aura."

Ash nodded slowly. "Okay. I guess…"

Yohana placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look her in the eyes. "I know you want to see your friends and Pikachu again, but you need to be trained in case we run into Team Rocket. Do you understand, Ash?"

Ash nodded. "Yes, I understand, but you're right about me wanting to see Brock, Misty, and Pikachu, especially Pikachu, again as soon as possible. They're my friends. What if something happens to them?"

"It's more likely something will happen to us than them. Team Rocket isn't after them; they're after us. To Team Rocket, Brock and Misty are just a couple of random trainers that have nothing to do with us." Yohana assured Ash. "They'll be _fine_."

Ash sighed. "You'd better be right, Yohana. I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to them."

Yohana sighed as well. "Don't worry about it, Ash. Focus on yourself for once."

"Hmph. Easy for you to say." Ash grumbled.

Yohana opened her mouth to reply, but it was then that Entei decided to interrupt, telling them it was time to get back to training.

Both groaned, but obeyed.


	11. Fight and Shot

**Two Weeks Later…**

"Ash, I need to talk to you about something." Yohana said, walking over to where Ash was training with the Lucario Raikou had found.

Ash turned to look at her. "What about?"

Yohana took a deep breath. "It's about your friends. I don't think we should meet up with them in Celadon City."

Ash stared at her. He turned, picked up his pokeballs, and started to walk away.

Yohana grabbed his arm. "If we meet up with them, they'll be in danger too! Is that what you want?! I know you're worried about them, but…"

Ash yanked his arm away. "No buts, Yohana! If you don't want to meet them, that's fine! I'll go by myself!"

"Wait! Ash!" Yohana yelled as her best friend took off into the woods. She ran after him. "Ash!"

Ash turned a corner and seemed to just disappear.

Yohana scanned the clearing desperately, looking for any indication as to where he might have gone. "ASH!" She fell to her knees and started crying, not even thinking of using her powers to find him.

Entei found her still like that fifteen minutes later. _(What happened, Yohana?)_

"I… I didn't want his friends to be in danger like we are…" Yohana whimpered. "So I told him I didn't think we should meet up with them in Celadon City… He… he left, Entei… I chased him away… We have to find him! He'll be killed!"

_(Don't worry, Yohana. We'll find him. He couldn't have gotten far.)_ Entei assured her. _(He'll be with us again before you know it.)_

**Two days later…**

Ash entered a small shop filled with trainer wares. He went straight to the man at the counter.

"Sir? Do you sell evolution stones?" He asked.

The man nodded. "Which one are you looking for?"

"A sun stone. Do you have one?" Ash asked. As the man went in back to check, Ash had the urge to turn and run, but he didn't. He needed that sun stone for when he went back to Yohana.

He just hoped he could find her again.

The man returned with a sun stone in hand. "That'll be Twenty Poke."

Ash thanked the man and paid for the sun stone.

"Enjoy your time in Celadon City." The man told him.

Ash froze. "This is Celadon City?"

The man frowned. "You didn't know?"

"I don't have a map-bearer with me." Ash laughed. "Thanks for telling me where I am."

"You're welcome." The man said, curious as to why the boy was in Celadon City without knowing where he was.

Ash put the sun stone in his pocket and exited the store. A frown slipped onto his face. He hadn't meant to come here without Yohana. He'd wanted to discuss it with Yohana further before coming to Celadon City.

He sighed. He was here so he might as well rendezvous with…

A sharp sense of danger entered Ash's body and he dodged as a shot rang out.

Ash spun around to see a Team Rocket Grunt holding a gun.

After a lot of dodging and fighting, Ash found himself pinned to the ground by the Rocket, gun digging into his chest.

The Team Rocket grunt grinned and started to pull the trigger, but was knocked away by a Growlithe just as the trigger was fully pulled.

Ash yelped loudly as the bullet hit him in the shoulder. His vision started to blur as he lost blood quickly. He heard desperate shouting as the last of his consciousness slipped away.

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana's ears picked up the gunshot from a distance. She urged Entei to race towards the sound and soon found herself looking over Celadon City.

Worry lit up her eyes as she saw there was a commotion down below.

"It's not safe for you to go into the city, Entei. Leafeon and I will go the rest of the way alone." She told her caretaker.

Entei nodded. _(Be careful. Team Rocket might be down there.)_

"I know." Yohana said. "But I need to find Ash."

Picking up Leafeon, she sped towards the city.

**Meanwhile…**

"Pikapi…" Pikachu whimpered worriedly.

"Don't worry. Ash will be all right." Brock said halfheartedly.

"We don't know that, Brock. For all we know, he could…" Misty couldn't finish the sentence.

"Ash is a strong boy, Misty. I'm positive that he'll pull through." Brock sounded more sure of himself this time.

"I hope you're right." Misty mumbled. "First he gets kidnapped and now this? Could things get any worse?"

Just then, they heard a bang and a force caused them and the paramedics to fly into the wall.

"What's going on?!" One of the paramedics yelled to the driver.

"A car crashed into the ambulance!" The driver replied. "We need to find another way to get the boy to the hospital, and fast!"

Brock stood up. "My Onix is fast and big enough to carry us! We can ride him to the hospital!"

The paramedics agreed and the group was soon riding Onix to the hospital.

They got there quickly and Ash was handed down to some doctors and rushed into the Emergency Room.

Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were then told to wait in the waiting room for results.

A girl with a Leafeon came running in to the waiting room. She tried to enter the Emergency Room, but was stopped by some nurses.

"You can't go in there! It's doctors only!" One nurse told her.

"Not even family can go in when a person is in the Emergency Room!" Another added.

"No! He'll die! He needs my help! I can heal him!" The girl tried to push past the nurses, but it was useless. They wouldn't let her past. "Let me past or I'll have to make you let me past!"

Misty, Brock, and Pikachu watched with interest as the girl continued to fight the nurses. Suddenly, the nurses were lifted up by an unseen force. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu gasped.

"She's a psychic!" Brock observed.

"Sorry! I need to help my Ash!" The girl called over her shoulder as she burst through the doors to the Emergency Room.

"Did she say Ash?" Misty asked.

Brock nodded. Neither noticed Pikachu slip through the doors behind the girl.

**Meanwhile…**

Yohana could feel Ash's energy slipping away. He was dying. She could feel it.

The nurses hadn't let her through. She was too desperate to contain her powers now. She had to get to Ash.

"We're losing him!" She heard someone yell up ahead. She slid to a stop outside a certain room. She felt Ash inside.

She peeked through the door. The doctors were using conventional methods to try to save Ash. It wouldn't be enough.

She opened the door wider and ran inside.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be in here!" One doctor yelled.

"Let me help!" Yohana shouted. She shoved the doctors aside and placed her hands over Ash's heart. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she started using her powers to heal him.

A green light rippled over Ash's body. The doctors just watched in amazement as the healing continued.

Finally, Yohana took another deep breath and opened her eyes again.

"I think he'll be okay now. Will he be?" She asked the doctors.

The doctors snapped out of it and checked Ash's vitals. He seemed to be doing much better, but he still hadn't woken up.

Something clanked on the floor and everyone in the room realized that the bullet had somehow been pushed out of Ash's shoulder. The wound was now half-healed.

The lead doctor turned to Yohana. "How did you do that? We were losing him, but you made him better."

Yohana smiled nervously. "Aromatherapy. It was easy."

"Aromatherapy? Isn't that a pokemon move?" Another doctor asked.

"Please. Don't tell anyone what you saw here. Ash and I are in danger enough as it is because of my powers." Yohana said.

"That's why the boy was shot? Because you have powers?" The lead doctor asked.

Yohana nodded. "And because we escaped Team Rocket's headquarters. They're after us."

The lead doctor nodded. "We'll keep your secret. Having one criminal organization after you is probably hard enough to deal with. Two would make it torture."

The other doctors agreed.

**a/n Sorry for not putting much about Ash's training with Lucario or the fight in here. I pretty much blank out on that type of subject and I wanted to get to the part that's been stuck in my head for the past few days. Won't be able to update for the next couple of weeks but will as soon as I can. Hope you are enjoying Yohana's Secret so far. a/n**


	12. Yohana meets Brock and Misty

Yohana sat in a chair next to Ash's bed, holding his hand. Silently, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, worry evident in her eyes.

Her Leafeon sat next to her on the ground, and Ash's Pikachu, whom she had met upon following the doctors from the Emergency Room to Ash's hospital room, lay curled up on the bed next to Ash.

"It's my fault." Yohana said, finally breaking the silence. "I should've been there to protect you, but I wasn't. If only I'd found you sooner…" She heard footsteps coming towards the room and looked up to see the door open and a girl and a boy walk in. "Huh?"

"Hey. It's that Psychic from before." The girl commented. Yohana realized they'd probably been in the waiting room when she'd forced her way into the Emergency Room.

_(They must be Brock and Misty. Ash's friends.)_ Leafeon purred.

Yohana stood up, dropping Ash's hand. "Hi there. I'm Yohana. What are your names?"

"I'm Brock and this is Misty." The boy said.

"It's nice to meet you." Misty said.

"It's nice to meet you too." Yohana replied, shaking Misty's outstretched hand.

There was an awkward silence.

"So… how do you know Ash?" Brock asked.

"We're friends." Yohana answered, glancing over at Ash. "Just friends…"

"Is he going to be okay?" Misty asked. "The doctors only told us that he was going to live and that he was in a coma. We don't know much more than that."

"Give it a week or two. He'll be back to himself before you know it." Yohana replied.

"Are you sure about that?" Brock asked. "It might be true that he'll be back to normal physically, but there's no saying how the trauma of it all might affect him."

"I didn't think of that. I'll bet it won't affect him too much though. Once, when we were four, he disturbed a mother Pidgey who was protecting her young. He ended up in the hospital for a week and a half. I couldn't believe it when I went to visit him and found him laughing about the whole event." She smiled fondly at the memory.

"Yeah, but this is different. Someone seriously tried to kill him." Misty said. "And we don't know why."

"Maybe that guy was the one who kidnapped Ash." Brock said. "And he's angry that Ash escaped and wants him dead because of it."

"Maybe." Misty said. "There's a good possibility the shooting has to do with the kidnapping."

Yohana watched Brock and Misty as they discussed theories as to why the man had tried to kill Ash.

"_They have no idea."_ She told Leafeon.

_(Perhaps you should tell them.)_ Leafeon purred.

"_No way. Let them figure it out on their own."_ Yohana replied. She sat back down and picked up Ash's hand again._ "If I tell them, they'll ask why Team Rocket wants me to join them and then I might have to tell them my secret. I don't know yet if I can trust them."_

_(Okay. That's your choice.)_ Leafeon told her.

"Yohana, why do you think that man tried to kill Ash?" Misty asked.

Yohana glanced over at her and Brock and shrugged. "What matters now isn't why they want to do it. What matters now is how we're going to protect Ash."

Misty and Brock exchanged glances.

"You've got a good point." Misty said. "How are we going to protect him?"

"Let's make sure two of us are in the room at all times. That way, if one of us gets hurt, Ash will still have some protection." Brock suggested. "I'm going to go call Ash's mother. You two stay here and make sure nothing happens to him."

As soon as Brock left, Misty turned to Yohana. "What are you hiding?"

"Huh?" Yohana said.

"You know something we don't. I want to know what it is." Misty said.

"I know a lot of things you don't. Which one do you want me to tell you?" Yohana joked.

"Why did that man _really_ try to kill Ash? I know you know. Tell me." Misty responded.

Yohana sighed. "I… can't…"

"Oh? And why not?" Misty asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Because everyone would hate me for it." Yohana replied. "I just wanted to stay friends with Ash. I didn't want to put him in danger because of it."

"Ash is in danger… because of you?" Misty asked, surprised.

"Yes…" Yohana admitted. Tears began to run down her face. "It's all because of those stupid letters! Team Rocket stole one of them after I put it in the mailbox and read it! They found out everything and kidnapped Ash to get to me! They wanted me to join them! I pretended to, and then used the access to get both of us out of there! Ever since, they've been trying to kill him! BECAUSE OF ME!"

She started weeping, crying her eyes out.

To her surprise, Misty hugged her. "Shh. Don't cry. It's not your fault. It's Team Rocket's fault. They're the ones to blame, not you."

"But I dragged him into this, Misty!" Yohana cried. "We were best friends before they came after me. I wanted it to stay that way, so I wrote him letters! He's been my only human friend for five years! All I want right now is for him to be safe! I don't care about me; I just want him to be safe! But Team Rocket…"

"I think the only way for Ash to be safe is if we bring down Team Rocket." Misty whispered. "We can do it. I know we can."

"I don't know if we have enough time, Misty! As soon as they find him, they'll…" Yohana stopped there, renewed tears bursting from her eyes.

"Just let it all out." Misty murmured. "We won't let them hurt him. I promise."

"You… you promise?" Yohana sobbed.

Misty nodded. "I promise. Now dry your tears. Everything's going to be A-Okay."

Soon after Yohana had stopped crying, Brock reentered the room and told them Delia and Professor Oak were on their way.

"Mrs. Ketchum must be worried sick." Misty said. "You know how she feels about Ash."

"She said they were going to take the fasted method of transportation to get here. They'll probably be here tomorrow or the next day." Brock replied.

"Let's hope he's awake by then." Misty said, glancing at Ash.

"Yeah." Brock agreed. All three kids looked at their friend sadly.

"Let's just hope the situation doesn't get any worse." Misty said.

**a/n Not much action in this chapter. Mainly Brock and Misty meeting Yohana and we find out Ash's diagnosis. I promise there will be more action in the next chapter. a/n**


	13. Abducted in Broad Daylight

**A week later…**

"Yohana, dear, why don't you go get something to eat? You've barely left Ash's side since we got here, probably before that too." Delia told Yohana.

Yohana felt a sense of foreboding, like something would happen if she left. "No thank you, Mrs. Ketchum. I'm fine."

"Yohana, honestly!" Misty said. "You're sleep-deprived; you're hungry; you need a break! We'll watch over Ash while you're gone! Don't worry about a thing!"

"But…" Yohana began as Misty pulled her to her feet and pushed her towards the door. "I…"

"Don't_ worry_! We'll be _fine_!" Misty assured her.

"_Fine_. I'll be back in half an hour. Don't go anywhere." Yohana said sternly.

"We won't! Have a nice break!" Misty replied as Yohana left the room.

After the girl was gone, the rest of the group gave a sigh of relief.

"It's about time she took a real break!" Brock said. "She's only left the room to go to the bathroom the whole time Ash has been in his coma!"

"Is it just me, or is that girl hiding something?" Professor Oak asked. "When she visited us to get her pokedex and all, she asked us not to tell anyone she'd been there. Then, this all starts up. What's going on?"

"Yohana told you not to tell anyone she'd been there?" Brock asked in disbelief.

"Yes, she said it was important no one knew where she'd been." Delia replied.

"Was she challenging the gyms?" Brock asked. Delia nodded. "That makes me wonder… I'll be right back!"

He returned a few minutes later with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Where'd you…" Misty began to ask.

"It's just as I thought." Brock interrupted. "Yohana made the same request at the Pewter City Gym. Except she admitted to my dad and Forrest that if anyone found out she was challenging the gyms, they'd know where to wait for her. What could that possibly mean?"

"It means that Yohana's in danger and she knows it." Misty said.

"But who…" Brock began, but was stopped by the sound of shattering windows.

Team Rocket had found them.

**Meanwhile…**

With her enhanced hearing, Yohana heard the windows shatter from downstairs. Immediately, she got up and, abandoning her half-eaten meal, raced towards Ash's room. She heard a gunshot just as she arrived.

"NO!" She heard Delia, Professor Oak, Brock, and Misty yell in unison.

She peeked through the cracked door. There was an almost invisible, tinted blue shield covering Ash.

"_You're awake."_ She said to Ash telepathically.

"_Yes. Now help me pretend to die. I can't hold the shield up forever."_ Ash replied, eyes still closed.

Yohana gave a slight nod and, at the next gunshot, made the illusion that the bullet had hit Ash instead of bouncing off the shield. She made pretend blood leak through his shirt.

The lead rocket put his gun away and smirked. "There's no chance of saving him now. Come on. We'll take the witnesses with us. Bait for the girl."

Yohana felt anger burn through her, but managed to focus on the task at hand.

"_Yohana, you have to help them. I'm too weak. It has to be you."_ Ash thought to her.

Yohana gave another slight nod and flung open the door. "You're not taking them anywhere." She panted as if she'd just been running, although running didn't usually make her tired.

"You're too late, girl. Your boyfriend is dead. You can't possibly save him." The lead rocket sneered.

"Maybe I can't save him, but I can save them! Leafeon! I need you now!" Yohana shouted.

_(A little caged up right now, Yohana!) _Leafeon pointed out, dangling from a cage in one of the rocket grunts' hands.

"I'm afraid your Leafeon isn't able to help you right now, girl!" The lead rocket snickered. "You'll have to use some of your own moves, won't you?"

"Gloom! Come on out!" Yohana yelled, yanking a pokeball off her belt and throwing it.

"Alrighty then. Come on out, Geodude." The lead rocket threw a pokeball as well. "Use Rock Throw!"

"Gloom! Dodge and use Sleep Powder! Then, use Acid!" Yohana commanded.

The Sleep Powder missed and soon the battle was rapidly turning for the worst.

Yohana was astonished when the lead rocket returned his pokemon. "Wha-what are you…" That was when she noticed Delia, Brock, Misty, Professor Oak, Pikachu, Leafeon, and the Team Rocket grunts were gone.

"We'll meet again, girl." The lead rocket sneered, jumping out the window.

"NO!" Yohana cried. She ran to the window just in time to see the rockets getting away in a helicopter. "No…"

She sank to her knees. "I… I failed…"

Someone put their arm around her shoulders and whispered. "We'll rescue them. Together."

"You should be in bed, Ash." Yohana said half-heartedly. "You said yourself that you're too weak right now to help."

Ash blushed and crawled back over to the bed.

The doctors arrived just then. Two helped Ash back into bed while three others inquired about what had just happened.

Yohana explained the best she could, to the doctors then, and to Officer Jenny later.

"I tried to save them, but they distracted me while they got away." She whispered. "They took my Leafeon too."

_(I'm sorry I let you down, Mistress Yohana.)_ Gloom mumbled sadly.

"Oh, Gloom. It's not your fault. You did everything you could to help." Yohana told her. "It was your first real battle too. You did so well in holding up the fort. I just wish I'd noticed what was happening in the background." The last part was to both Gloom and Officer Jenny.

"Thank you for telling us what you know. We'll do our best to find and rescue them." Officer Jenny said, standing up.

"I want to help." Yohana announced, also standing up. "And I know Ash will too once he's better."

"It's best we don't involve Ash in this. He's still hurt." Officer Jenny responded.

"These are his friends and family we're talking about. Knowing Ash, he won't take no for an answer. Also, by the time you locate them, Ash will be well enough to handle it." Yohana argued.

"Neither of you should be involved. You're children." Officer Jenny replied.

"We can handle it, Officer Jenny. Neither of us will take no for an answer. Either you involve us, or we go it alone. Your choice." Yohana told her.

Officer Jenny sighed, defeated. "If Ash is well by the time we find them, you can both come with. If not, I'll have to ask you to stay behind and watch over him."

"Deal." Yohana agreed, putting out her hand.

"Good." Officer Jenny said, shaking Yohana's hand.

"Come on, Gloom. Let's go back to Ash." Yohana said, turning and heading for the door, Gloom following.

Officer Jenny watched her leave. "Poor kids. They shouldn't have to be dealing with such a serious matter at their age. I just hope they'll be all right."


	14. Plan and Questions

**A month later at the Celadon City Pokemon Center…**

"I hate this!" Ash moaned, dropping down on the bed. "All this waiting! Can't we just go out and search for them ourselves?!"

Yohana shook her head at the conversation they'd been having every day for weeks. "You know we can't, Ash. The police are still watching over us to ensure our safety. They'd notice if we left without telling them. I promised we wouldn't go it alone. Besides, we have a better chance of succeeding with the police on our side. It's not like the time has been wasted. Both we and our pokemon are stronger due to the training we've been doing. That also gives us a better chance of success."

Ash sighed. "I know, but…"

There was a knock on the door to the room they'd been staying in. Yohana and Ash exchanged glances and Ash used his aura to sense who was outside the door before getting up and letting them in.

"Hello, Officer Jenny." Yohana said. "Have you located them yet?"

Officer Jenny nodded. "That's what I came to tell you. I need you to come to the police station with me for the mission briefing."

Ash and Yohana exchanged glances again, this time with excited smiles instead of worried frowns. They quickly grabbed their stuff and followed Officer Jenny out of the Pokemon Center, down the street, and into the police station.

Waiting there were a redhead with four men and one woman dressed like him, five more Officer Jennys (from Cerulean City, Pewter City, Pallet Town, Fuchsia City, and Vermilion City), and at least thirty more police officers.

"Hello, I'm Lance of the Pokemon G-men." The redhead introduced.

"You're the Pokemon League Champion." Ash noted with surprise.

Lance noted. "That I am. These are my pals: Hedrick, Kevin, Gerald, Randy, and Kate."

The five greeted the two kindly.

"I'm Yohana and this is Ash." Yohana introduced. "We're here to help rescue the captives."

"You do realize that is only part of the mission, right?" Kate asked.

"Um… no… What's the other part?" Ash inquired, confused.

"We're going to try to take Team Rocket down from the inside." Lance explained. "That's why there are so many people here. It's not just because Professor Oak is such a high-ranked professor. This mission is to take down Team Rocket."

"We're in! Right, Yohana?" Ash asked.

"While I do want to take down the organization that killed my parents, I'm not sure you're up for it, Ash. Remember, you just got out of the hospital three weeks ago." Yohana replied.

(Anime collapse: Ash) "But _Yohana_ we've been working for this!"

"Ash, we've been working for the rescue. We haven't been working to take down Team Rocket completely. We're not ready for that yet. Leave it to the adults." Yohana reasoned.

Ash sighed in disappointment. "I guess you're right, but what if…"

"No what ifs. Let's wait to hear what we're supposed to do." Yohana said.

Celadon City Officer Jenny tapped a microphone. "Can everyone hear me?" Yes's echoed through the crowd. "Good. Now, there will be three groups taking part in this mission. Group A will be trying to rescue the captives and Group B will be trying to take down Team Rocket completely. Group C will surround the base, guarding the exits from a distance. Here are your groups:"

She rattled off a list of names for each group. Ash, Yohana, and Randy were in group A, along with the Officer Jennys from Pallet and Pewter, and a third of the other officers. The rest of the G-men were in Group B with the Officer Jennys from Vermilion and Fuchsia and another third of the officers. The Officer Jennys from Cerulean and Celadon led Group C with the last third of the officers.

Officer Jenny then continued on with the plan. "Groups A and B dress up in Team Rocket uniforms and enter the base from any exit by boy-girl pairs. Group A will be wearing blue wristbands to show they are good guys, while Group B will be wearing green wristbands. If anyone asks why, say you found it somewhere and thought it was cool. To make sure you are facing a friend, you will ask 'Beautiful weather today, isn't it?' To prove you are one of us, you must answer 'I thought I saw a rainbow earlier.' Don't ask questions about the answer. None of the criminals will ever guess it. Once inside, Group A will search for the captives and do what they can to free them. Group B will do what they can to find and defeat the Team Rocket leader. Group C will stay outside to arrest any rockets who flee. Most of the time inside the base will be improvising, understand?" Everyone voiced that they understood. "We'll drive to a couple of miles from the base and travel the rest of the way on foot. We leave at 1900 hours. Move it!"

"That gives us thirty minutes to get ready." Yohana noted. "Let's take our stuff and store it at the police station as we might not be going back to the Pokemon Center."

"Good idea." Ash agreed and they went to get ready.

**Meanwhile…**

"Argh! How long's it gonna be until someone rescues us?!" Misty shouted, her voice echoing through the cell. She plopped down on the cot that they took turns sleeping on. "I want to get out of here already!"

"Yelling about it isn't going to help." Brock told her.

"I know, but…" Misty began.

Professor Oak interrupted her. "My question is why they want us."

"I'm curious about that too." Delia put in. "They want Yohana, so why didn't they take her when they took us?"

"That's a good question." Brock said. "Another good one is why do they want Yohana in the first place? I mean, she just a kid who just started her pokemon journey. What's so special about her?"

"Yohana mentioned something to me about Ash being her only human friend for five years. If she only had one human friend and her parents were dead, who raised her?" Misty asked.

"These are all good questions. We'll have to ask Yohana next time we see her." Delia said.

"_If_ we see her again." Misty said. "There's no guarantee of that."

They were all silent for a few moments.

"We have to keep faith that we'll be rescued." Brock said. "They won't give up on us, especially with Professor Oak's status."

"You think _Professor Oak's status_ will get us found?!" Misty snapped.

Brock withdrew. "I just meant it will keep them looking longer than they would for the average person."

Misty blew her bangs out of her face. "Whatever." She paused. "Don't you think it was weird that Yohana didn't look mournful when the rockets told her Ash was dead?" Delia started crying at the reminder. "Sorry, Mrs. Ketchum, but the question's been bugging me for a while now."

"That's been bothering me too." Brock said. "You'd think she didn't care about Ash, but we know she cares because she barely left Ash's side while he was in his coma."

"It's almost like… not to get anyone's hopes up or anything, but it's almost like she believed he wasn't dead." Misty said.

Everyone was silent again at that.

"But we saw them shoot him twice. There was blood, proving there was a chest wound." Brock said. "What you're suggesting isn't possible. Ash wasn't even awake to defend himself and Yohana wasn't even in the room when he was shot."

Misty sighed. "You're right. Sorry for mentioning it at all."

"It's okay. Let's just not mention it again." Brock said.

Professor Oak didn't say anything. In his mind, he was remembering how the blood on Ash's shirt had just disappeared when Yohana had entered the room. Almost like it had been an illusion. Almost like the bullet hadn't hit Ash at all.

The door to the cell swung open and grunts came in to escort them to the questioning room.

Three of the four prisoners went without fighting back. Misty, as usual, was just the opposite, struggling her hardest in an attempt to get free.

Once in the questioning room, they were tied down and, of course, questioned.

Giovanni was frustrated with them because they didn't know much about Yohana.

Misty wouldn't stop struggling.

This was going to be a long questioning session.

**A/n Bad ending to chapter, but I didn't know how to bring it to an end without revealing the next part. As you can see, Brock, Misty, Delia, and Professor Oak are starting to question Yohana's actions and her connection to Team Rocket. Misty and Professor Oak are also starting to question whether or not Ash is really dead, although Misty's been convinced he really is. Next chapter: Rescue and Take Down: Part One a/n**


	15. Rescue and Take Down: Part One

**8:00 pm…**

"We're here." Pallet Town Officer Jenny announced.

"How long did it take to get here?" Ash asked, yawning.

"Did you fall asleep?" Yohana asked. Ash nodded and Yohana hit her head. "It's been about an hour. Wake yourself up, because things get serious right here and now."

Ash nodded again and got out of the car.

They walked for about twenty minutes before sighting the Team Rocket base through the trees.

"It looks like an old power plant." Yohana noticed.

"That's because it is." Vermilion City Officer Jenny said. "An abandoned power plant that hasn't been used in years. Team Rocket is using it as headquarters. How could we have not thought to look for them here before?"

"Probably because this wasn't always their headquarters." Yohana said. "It used to be in Viridian City before it got blown up during a captive jailbreak."

"You're talking about the gym? The gym was Team Rocket's headquarters?" A normal officer asked. "How do you know this?"

"I rescued Ash from there. That was the same night it was blown up." Yohana explained.

Everyone except Ash gaped at her.

"We'd best continue before we're noticed." Yohana added quickly, drawing them back to the present.

They began executing the plan. Each pair had come up with an excuse as to where they'd been and why they were coming back. Ash and Yohana used the excuse that they'd been searching for Entei, were in the area, and decided to report back to the boss about their progress.

The guard gruffly instructed them to an area where they could wait until Giovanni was done dealing with some prisoners. This information was passed on to a pair from Group B once inside.

"Let's start by searching this way." Yohana suggested in a whisper. She and Ash took a left. They'd been searching for quite a while when Ash realized something.

"What the… I'm so stupid!" He groaned.

"What is it?" Yohana asked quietly.

"My aura! We can find them with my aura!" Ash replied hitting his head.

Yohana shoved him. "You idiot! Why didn't you think of that sooner?! Never mind! Just lead the way!"

Ash closed his eyes, and, grasping Yohana's hand, took off in the direction they'd been going. He took the first right then the second left then the next right and finally crashed into a door.

"_Ash! Be careful!"_ Yohana spoke telepathically.

"_Sorry, I…"_ Ash's reply was cut off when the door swung open to reveal a very angry Giovanni.

"What do you want?! You know not to disturb Prisoner Questionings!" Giovanni hissed.

"We're sorry, Sir." Ash replied in a very gruff voice that sounded nothing like his own. "We're new here and lost our way. We were headed to the holding cells to take over for…"

"Never mind your excuses! The holding cells are down this hall, take a right, down the stairs, and to the left! Take this stubborn brat down there while you're at it!" Giovanni shoved Misty into Ash's surprised arms. "Get on it!"

"Yes, Sir!" Ash nodded quickly and started dragging Misty down the hall.

"Let me go!" Misty shouted. "Unless you want a black eye, I suggest you…"

"Shut up, girl!" Yohana yelled, also using a false voice. "We don't want to hear your crap!"

This angered Misty more. "I don't care if my hands are tied behind my back! I am so going to beat you up! Just you wait! I'll…"

They turned the corner and came face to face with two more grunts wearing blue wristbands.

"Beautiful weather today, isn't it?" The male grunt asked.

Ash looked around. "I thought I saw a rainbow earlier."

"You seem to have had success so far." The female 'grunt' said.

"Huh?" Misty was confused. "What do you mean by…"

"Giovanni's an idiot!" Yohana interrupted in a whisper. "He handed us Misty and told us exactly where the holding cells are!"

Misty turned to look at her in surprise.

"Where are they? We'll spread the word and get Misty out of here." The female 'grunt' said.

"Down those stairs and to the left." Ash pointed.

Misty recognized his voice. "Ash? But you were…"

"I'll explain later. Go with them. You can trust them." Ash told her.

"Alright… but you should know that your mom, Brock, and Professor Oak were in that room with me." Misty said.

"That reminds me." Ash said, turning to the two 'grunts'. "Send us Group B. We know where Giovanni is."

The 'grunts' stared at him in surprise.

"Who know the two non-officers would be the most successful?" The female 'grunt' shook her head in disbelief. "Wait here. We'll get both groups to come meet you here. Come on, Misty." She pushed Misty lightly in the other direction.

"But I want to help!" Misty protested.

"You don't even have your pokemon. How are you going to help?" The male 'grunt' said. "Now come on. We're going to get you out of here."

"My pokemon…" Misty said.

"We'll get them to you, but you need to cooperate." The female 'grunt' replied.

Misty bowed her head in defeat and murmured to Ash and Yohana. "Good luck you two."

"We won't let you down." Ash told her.

Misty smiled at him before walking off with the other two.

Ash and Yohana waited a full half an hour for the groups to come meet them. Finally, they heard footsteps, but it wasn't the officers.

Giovanni frowned at Ash and Yohana. Brock, Delia, and Professor Oak were standing behind him, being held by a bunch of real grunts. "I thought you two were taking over for some guards at the holding cells."

"You must have us confused with someone else." Yohana said in her false voice.

"No no. I know it was you two I gave that stubborn girl to." Giovanni circled the two. "What might you be doing up here? And where, may I ask, is the girl?"

"Well, we took her down to her cell and then went to take over the post, but it ended up we weren't needed. We didn't know what to do, so we decided to just hang out here." Ash attempted in the gruff voice.

"Why is it I don't believe you?" Giovanni asked, getting up close to Ash, who closed his eyes and looked away.

"I don't know, Sir. I'm telling you the truth." Ash said.

Just then, a large group of grunts rounded the corner. Half were wearing blue wristbands and half were wearing green.

Giovanni stood up straight and turned to face the grunts. "What are you all doing away from your tasks? Get back to work."

"Beautiful weather today, isn't it, kids?" A grunt, whose voice Ash and Yohana recognized as Lance's, said.

"I thought I saw a rainbow earlier." Yohana replied as calmly as she could. She then added. "Down the stairs and to the left."

Most of the blue wrist banded 'grunts' raced down the stairs.

"What's going on here?!" Giovanni demanded as Ash and Yohana ran towards the 'grunts' that were left.

"Simple!" Yohana grinned. "You're being arrested!"

"Not on my life! Persian! Use Fury Swipes on the girl!" Giovanni hissed.

Lance went to protect Yohana, but he wasn't fast enough. Fortunately, Ash put up an Aura Shield just in time.

The shield became visible with each swipe.

"Persian! Keep it up! He'll tire out eventually!" Giovanni ordered.

"_Ash, drop the shield."_ Yohana ordered.

"_But…"_

"_Drop it!"_

Ash dropped the shield and Yohana used Dynamic Punch on Persian. The powerful, extra-effective move knocked out Persian in one hit.

Everyone except Ash, Yohana, and Giovanni gasped in amazement. Yohana blew on her hand to cool it off.

"Impressive! Let's see you face all of our pokemon!" Giovanni released all the pokemon he had on him, the grunts behind him doing the same. "Attack the girl!"

Lance stepped in front of Yohana and sent out his Dragonite. "I won't let you hurt her!"

Ash and Yohana exchanged glances and nodded in sync.

"You want to face off against me? I accept your challenge. However, you must let a few friends of mine come to help." Yohana said, winking at Ash.

"And what friends might they be?" Giovanni growled.

"If I win, you have to disband Team Rocket immediately and surrender yourself to the police right away." Yohana said.

"No friends. Just you against our pokemon." Giovanni said. "If you lose, you join Team Rocket."

Yohana gritted her teeth. "If I accept your terms, will you accept mine?"

Giovanni grinned. "Shake on it." He held out his hand.

Yohana reached out to take it, but Ash swatted her arm away.

"Yohana, think about this for a moment!" He cried.

"I have thought about it. I'm going to defeat Team Rocket. For my parents." Yohana said calmly. "And for you."

"For me?" Ash asked.

"They tried to kill you. They'll spend a lot of time in jail for it." Yohana said. "I won't lose."

She pushed him out of the way and shook Giovanni's hand.

She could feel Ash's fear for her, but she ignored it.

"We'll do this on the battle field." Giovanni smirked.

"Okay." Yohana agreed.

Everyone went to the battlefield. A large array of pokemon faced Yohana.

"_Yohana, don't just use grass-type moves. You need to use everything you know." _Ash spoke in her head.

"_Don't worry about me, Ash. I'll be fine. I'll show them what the girl with pokemon powers can really do!" _Yohana replied.

"_Be careful. I can't lose you. I… I love you too much."_ Yohana's heart leaped at the words she hadn't heard from Ash in five years.

"_And I love you too. I'll come out of this alive and victorious. I promise."_ She grinned at the pokemon.

"_I'll trust you with that, Yohana. I just hope you can keep that promise."_

"_If I can't win, I'll go down fighting! Team Rocket will never get their hands on me as long as I live!"_

"Are both sides ready?" The referee asked, snapping Ash and Yohana out of their telepathic conversation. Yohana stretched, took a look at the stands that were filled to the rim, and nodded to the referee.

"Good! Battle, commence!"


	16. Rescue and Take Down: Part Two

Yohana was constantly moving as she fought. She had taken down at least half the pokemon by now, but was tiring out.

However, Ash's yells of encouragement kept her going. She _would_ win, no matter how tired she got.

She threw another Energy Ball at a pokemon and fell to her knees dizzily.

"NO! YOHANA!" She heard Ash yell.

"Stay back, Ash! This isn't your fight!" She heard Brock say.

"Yohana! Get up! You have to get up!" Ash cried. "You promised!"

Yohana shook her head to clear it of wooziness and got to her feet. Ash was right. She _did_ promise, and it was a promise she was going to keep. She quickly used Recover.

She finished just in time to dodge an attack that would have finished her off.

The fight continued. Four fifths of the pokemon were out of the running. Six sevenths. Seven Eighths. Finally, there was just one pokemon left: Machamp.

"Machamp, use Karate Chop." Giovanni ordered.

Yohana dodged, but just barely.

"Keep going until you hit her." Giovanni commanded.

Yohana kept dodging.

"_Yohana… If you win, I'll… I'll… I'll kiss you!"_ Ash told her telepathically, probably blushing afterwards.

Yohana smirked. _"Fair enough. I won't let you down."_

She dodged again and started drawing power from the sun. She hadn't practiced this move much, but it was her best chance.

She moved her hands skillfully, and fired the Solar Beam at Machamp.

"Machamp, dodge it!" Giovanni called, fearing defeat.

The attack hit head on. When the dust cleared, both were still standing but breathing heavily.

Machamp fell forward first, joining the rest of pokemon that were unable to battle.

"All pokemon are unable to battle." The referee said nervously. "Yo-Yohana wins."

"Why you!" Giovanni growled.

"I'm just the messenger!" The referee gulped.

Giovanni turned to Yohana, who was just about ready to faint. "I'll get you for this, girl!"

"We had a deal." Yohana panted. "You are to disband Team Rocket and surrender yourself to the police _right now_."

Giovanni growled again, trying to find a loophole. "But I'll do this first!" He whipped out a gun and shot at Yohana, who he knew was too weak to defend herself right now.

Ash jumped in front of her and defended her with an Aura Shield again.

Yohana breathed a sigh of relief and fainted on the spot.

Meanwhile, the gun was wrestled out of Giovanni's hands by the police who then proceeded to handcuff the Team Rocket leader.

"This isn't over!" Giovanni cried. "You'll pay for this! Both of you!"

Ash winced at the threat, but decided to focus on the fainted girl behind him instead.

He knelt over her. "Yohana. Yohana, wake up."

"Let's get her to a hospital." Fuchsia City Officer Jenny said, joining Ash on the battlefield. She picked up Yohana. "Come on."

Ash nodded and followed her out of the base.

**a/n Short chapter. The next one's longer. a/n**


	17. A Traitor in Our Midst

The moment he stepped outside, a yellow fuzzball knocked him down.

"Pikapi!" It cried.

"Hi, Pikachu. I missed you too, buddy." Ash said with a small smile. He got up, Pikachu clinging to his shoulder, and continued following Fuchsia City Officer Jenny.

"Leaf!" Yohana's Leafeon ran up to them, worried.

"She'll be okay, Leafeon." Ash assured her. "She just needs some rest. She'll be back to normal before you know it."

_(Good.)_ Leafeon said.

Ash blinked. Had he just… understood a pokemon?

He shook his head. It couldn't be. It was probably just his imagination.

_(Is something wrong, Ash?)_ Pikachu asked.

Ash blinked and shook his head again. This had to be his imagination… Right?

"Ash, get into the car first, okay?" Fuchsia City Officer Jenny said. "I'm going to lay Yohana's head on your lap."

"Okay." Ash agreed, getting into the car with Pikachu and Leafeon following.

As Fuchsia City Officer Jenny laid Yohana across the seats, Ash looked out the window and noticed that, with the crisis over, Brock was back to flirting with the Officer Jennys. Of course, Misty was already on the case, grabbing Brock by the ear and dragging him away so that the Officer Jennys could do their job.

Ash flinched as the door slammed shut and Fuchsia City Officer Jenny climbed into the front.

"Hold on to her, okay?" Fuchsia City Officer Jenny instructed. "We don't want her getting any more hurt than she already is."

The car roared to life and they left the area.

"Wait! What about everyone else?! Do they know we're leaving?!" Ash asked.

"Oh. They don't need to know anything. They'll find out soon enough." Fuchsia City Officer Jenny said sinisterly.

Ash gasped, sensing a dark aura around her. He tried to open the door, but couldn't find a handle.

"This is a police car, Ash. You won't find a way out through the back seat." Fuchsia City Officer Jenny sneered.

Ash collected some aura around his fist and tried to break through the window, but, upon touching it, received a shock much greater than Pikachu's thunderbolts.

_(Ash!)_ Pikachu and Leafeon cried together as the boy fell on top of Yohana, unconscious.

_(Fuchsia City Officer Jenny's a traitor, and she's kidnapping our trainers!)_ Leafeon cried. _(We need help! We need Entei, Suicune, and Raikou!)_

_(But will they answer our pleas?!)_ Pikachu asked.

_(We don't need to plead! We just need Yohana's amulet! The thing is… she's the only one who can use it!)_ Leafeon said.

_(If we can't use the amulet, our best bet is to plead! Entei! Suicune! Raikou! We need your help!)_ Pikachu shouted.

"Shut up, you useless pokemon! There's no way for you to help your trainers! They're prisoners of Team Aqua now!" Fuchsia City Officer Jenny shouted.

_(Entei! Suicune! Raikou! Help us! Entei! Suicune! Raikou!)_ Pikachu and Leafeon continued.

"I said to SHUT UP!"

But Pikachu and Leafeon didn't shut up. They were desperate to get help for their trainers.

Finally, an hour later, they heard a roar.

_(They heard us!)_ Pikachu said in relief.

Ash winced and opened his eyes. "Wh-where…"

"Argh! Go back to sleep, you little brat! Now what was that roar…" Fuchsia City Officer Jenny said.

Ash remembered where he was and was about to try at the window again when Pikachu stopped him.

_(No, Ash! We need you awake!)_ The yellow mouse pokemon yelled.

Ash lowered his fist and glanced down at Yohana, who was still unconscious on his lap.

Fuchsia City Officer Jenny suddenly stopped the car short. Yohana almost fell off the seat, but Ash grabbed her just in time.

"What the %$# are they doing here?!" The officer cried.

Ash looked up to see Entei, Raikou, and Suicune surrounding the car on three sides.

The legendary beasts roared in anger. Ash unclicked his seatbelt and got ready to leave the car.

"You're not going anywhere, Mister!" Fuchsia City Officer Jenny yelled at him. She got out of the car and sent out three Growlithe. "Growlithe! Attack!"

It didn't take long for her Growlithe to be knocked out. These were legendary pokemon they were facing, after all.

Fuchsia City Officer Jenny growled at the legendary pokemon and attempted to get back into the car after returning her pokemon, but Entei stopped her.

_(Release the children.)_ Entei roared.

Fuchsia City Officer Jenny didn't understand the exact words, but she got the picture. "Forget it! These kids are prisoners of Team Aqua!"

"Team Aqua?" Ash whispered. "How come I've never heard of them? Are they from another region? Never mind. Of course we have to defeat one team just to fall into the hands of another. Will this torture ever end?"

A Hydro Pump fired through the backseat of the car. Ash ducked just in time.

'This is our chance.' He thought to himself.

Carefully, he reached through the broken window and pulled the handle to open the door, ignoring the battle raging around him. Then, he pulled Yohana onto his back, climbed out of the car and towards Suicune with Pikachu and Leafeon following.

Suicune quickly noticed them and calmed down enough to let them onto his back. All four passengers safely secured (aka Ash, Pikachu, and Leafeon holding on tight while Yohana was kept on by Ash), Suicune jumped over the fence that kept cars from falling off the cliffing, landing on the water below and taking off away from the rapidly ending fight.

**Four hours later…**

Yohana moaned, slowly waking up. As her senses started to return, she felt an arm holding her tight and the wind blowing past her. She could smell, and almost taste, the ocean air around her. She opened her eyes to find that she was riding on Suicune's back, but for how long? And whose Pikachu was that?

"You're awake." She recognized Ash's voice coming from behind her. "It's about time."

Of course. It was Ash's Pikachu.

"How long have I been asleep?" Yohana asked quietly, turning to look at him.

"I have no clue. I don't have a watch." Ash admitted. "But we've been riding on Suicune for a very long time. I really need some sleep." As if to prove that last sentence correct, he let out a yawn at that very moment.

"Ash, what happened? One minute I had just defeated Giovanni, and then…" Yohana questioned.

"One of the Officer Jennys was a traitor. She kidnapped us. Entei, Raikou, and Suicune helped us escape." Ash explained. "Sun's rising now. It looks like we've been up all night. I mean… I've been up all night."

Yohana looked away from him to see that he was right. It was sunrise and the sky looked beautiful.

"Finally! Land ho!" Ash said, pointing in the direction they were going. "Let's just hope we'll be safe there."

Yohana looked towards their destination, praying with all she had that he was right.

**a/n So Yohana and Ash have ended up in another region in hopes of safety. What adventures await them there? Will they meet new friends in a search for somewhere where they'll be safe? Find out in the next chapter: Enter May and Max! a/n**


	18. Enter May and Max

Ash and Yohana walked along the beach, looking for someone they could ask what region they were in. Suicune had already been sent away with the promise that she'd be called if they needed her help.

Finally, they came across a girl and pokemon who were sun tanning while watching a little boy playing in the water.

"Excuse me." Ash said. "But, could you tell us where we are?"

The girl looked at them, annoyed. "You're in Lilycove City in the Hoenn region. How could you not know that?"

"Thank you, miss." Yohana said.

"The name's May. I come from Petalburg City. People from _my_ hometown actually know which city they're in!" The girl told them.

"Um… You're being kind of rude…" Yohana said, holding back an angry Ash.

"Yeah, May! You're being rude!" The little boy had come up to them while they were talking to May.

"Maybe I wouldn't be in such a bad mood if I hadn't been stuck watching you while on vacation!" May snapped.

"Hi! I'm Max! I'm May's younger brother!" The little boy yelled. "It's nice to meet you! What are your names?!"

"I'm Yohana and this is Ash." Yohana replied as Ash started to calm down.

"Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?!" Max asked.

Yohana and Ash both blushed red-hot. "No!"

Max laughed. "It sure looks like it!"

"We're just friends." Ash stammered, adding under his breath. "I think."

"Y-yeah… just friends…" Yohana put in. She thought to herself. 'Then why were we so open about it to each other before?'

"Do you want to hang out with us for a little while?! We don't bite!" Max asked.

Ash and Yohana exchanged glances.

"Uh… sure?" Ash said.

Yohana nodded her agreement.

**Later…**

Ash and Yohana collapsed in a room they had rented in the pokemon center. They had been playing games with Max for hours before Max and May's parents called the Max and May for dinner and Ash and Yohana went to get some food themselves, before calling Celadon City Officer Jenny to let everyone know they were all right.

Ash mustered up enough energy to climb onto a bed before falling into a sleep he well deserved.

Yohana watched him for a few minutes before climbing onto a different bed and going to sleep as well. She was still tired from excessive energy usage just as Ash was from staying up all night the night before.

**The next morning…**

"Squirtle, Water Gun attack." Ash sighed as he had to use unconventional methods to wake Yohana once again.

Yohana yelped as the cold water soaked her to the bone. She shot up into a sitting position.

"It's almost noon, Yohana. We overslept." Ash told her. "We missed the boat back and there's not another one to Celadon City for at least two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?! What are we going to do for TWO WEEKS?!" Yohana yelled.

"Calm down, Yohana. We'll be fine. It's only for two weeks. Then, we can go back to Kanto and continue our journey." Ash comforted, sitting down beside her.

"But what if that Officer Jenny comes back and kidnaps us again? You know we can't trust her." Yohana said.

"We'll just stay away from Officer Jennys. As long as nothing bad happens, it won't be a problem." Ash told her.

"But what if something bad _does_ happen?" Yohana asked.

"We'll deal with it ourselves. It shouldn't be a problem." Ash shrugged. "I hear there's an art museum in town. Why don't we go check it out? I know how much you love looking at art."

Yohana smiled, the prospect of the art museum pushing her worries away. "Okay! Let's go!"

**Later…**

Ash and Yohana had been wandering about the art museum for about an hour when they met up with May and Max and their parents again.

"I thought you'd left for Celadon City." Max said when he saw them.

"We overslept and missed the boat." Ash explained.

May snickered.

"May! Be nice!" Her mother scolded.

Ash ignored them. "The next boat isn't for two weeks so we're kind of lost for what to do while we wait."

"You can hang out with us!" Max suggested.

"Well…" Ash began.

"Pleeeeeease…" Max begged.

"_What do you think, Yohana?"_ Ash asked telepathically.

"_We can protect them if anything goes wrong. We can't really say no without telling them our reason."_ Yohana replied.

Ash nodded. "Okay, Max. If that's what you want…"

"Yay!" Max cheered.

"Shh! Max, this is an art museum! Be quiet!" His mother hissed.

"Sorry, Mom." Max whispered.

The group explored the art museum a little more before leaving and going to get a small snack at the café on the corner.

The television was showing the news and most of the customers were watching it.

"What's going on?" May asked someone.

Ash glimpsed the television. They were reporting about the fall of Team Rocket.

"_Yohana, we need to get out of sight."_ He told his friend.

"_Don't tell me they're talking about how we defeated Team Rocket! If the whole world finds out about that, it'll be a nightmare!"_ Yohana thought.

"_Are you sure you don't want me to tell you that?"_ Ash asked.

"_That means it's true, doesn't it?"_ Yohana tried to see the television.

"_Yep."_ Ash took her hand and they started out of the café.

"Wow! Those two must be really brave to have taken on Team Rocket like that! Even with the whole police department backing them up!" A girl said.

Everyone murmured their agreement.

Ash opened the door and the bell ringed, signaling someone was going in/out. All faces turned to look at him and Yohana, causing their faces to turn red from embarrassment.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Max asked. "I thought you were going to hang out with us until…"

"We have to go get something from the pokemon center real quick!" Ash blurted out. "Be back later!"

He and Yohana made their escape.

"That was weird. What do you think is up with them?" May asked. "They weren't worried about anything at the Pokemon Center before we came here."

Max shrugged. "Maybe they just forgot."

"Maybe…" May murmured.

Their mother walked over to them with a box of cinnamon rolls. "Here. Why don't you go meet your friends at the Pokemon Center? I got cinnamon rolls for both you two and those two. My treat."

"Thanks, Mom!" Max and May said in unison. Max took the box of cinnamon rolls from her.

"Come on, Max! Let's go check out what was so important they had to leave so quickly!" May said, grabbing Max and taking off.

"We'll meet you at the hotel for dinner!" Their mother called after them. "6 o'clock!"


	19. Thugs and Kidnapped Again

Ash and Yohana walked quietly towards the Pokemon Center, no longer holding hands.

"What do you think will happen now, Ash?" Yohana asked. "We're stuck in Hoenn for two weeks, don't know who to trust, and now every criminal organization out there knows we exist, just not who we are."

"We'll be okay. We just have to keep on the move and come back for the boat in two weeks." Ash replied.

"What about Max? He'll be disappointed we can't hang out with him and his family." Yohana pointed out.

"I don't know. I don't want to put him or his family in danger, but…" Ash trailed off.

"But?" Yohana urged.

"_We're being followed." _Ash said.

Yohana jumped at the sudden switch to telepathy. _"Who by?"_

"_I can't tell. Probably Max and May. Possibly someone worse."_ Ash told her.

"_Do you think they heard us talking?"_ Yohana asked.

"_Maybe… Hang on a second…" _Ash narrowed his eyes, concentrating. _"There's four people following us and I don't think May and Max's parents are that nosy. This can't be good."_

Just then, they heard a scream.

"That sounded like May!" Yohana gasped.

Ash was already running towards the sound.

Yohana took off after him. "Ash, wait!"

Seconds later, Ash was blasted back by a Hydro Pump attack.

"Ash!" Yohana cried, catching up to her friend and kneeling beside him.

"I'm okay!" Ash said, wincing since he had been hit in his bad shoulder. "But May and Max aren't! Some thugs have them!"

The two ran towards May and Max and the thugs. One of the thugs had just pulled out a gun, and he was pointing it at Max.

Ash jumped in front of the younger boy and put up an aura shield in the nick of time.

"_Pretend you've been hit."_ Yohana said, making that illusion.

Ash fell to his knees, holding where the bullet would've hit had it not been stopped by the aura shield. It would've hit him in the chest.

"Ash!" Max cried.

May broke free of the second thug and knocked the first thug down, wrestling the gun out of his hands and throwing it away.

Yohana noticed the second thug sneaking away with May's pokemon. She used psychic to take the pouch out of the second thug's hands and put it in her own hands. She ran over to Ash.

"_Can I stop pretending now? I'm not hurt."_ Ash begged, looking at her.

"_No. We can't let them know you have the ability to stop a bullet."_ Yohana replied.

_(Ash! Don't die! I can't lose you!)_ Pikachu whined.

Ash blinked at him. "I-I'm sorry… Pikachu…" He dropped to the ground, pretending to die.

Pikachu started shaking Ash's head, trying to wake him up. _(Ash! No! Don't leave me!)_

Yohana turned to face the thugs. "You hurt my friend. That's unacceptable."

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?" The first thug asked, finally managing to get May off of him.

"Leafeon! Razor Leaf!" Yohana shouted.

The attack blasted the first thug back. Unfortunately, he was now closer to his gun. He looked pointedly at the second thug, who grabbed May, before grabbing his gun and pointing it at May.

"Try anything else and we kill the girl." He said.

"Tell me. Does your friend have a gun too?" Yohana asked.

The thugs were confused.

"No. Why?" The first thug muttered.

Yohana smirked and used Psychic to hold the first thugs still, take the gun out of his hands, and remove the ammunition.

The thugs froze as the ammunition landed in Yohana's outstretched hand. She let go of the first thug.

"Leave the girl! Let's get out of here!" The first thug panicked.

The second thug agreed and released May, who ran over to hide behind Yohana.

Yohana handed May her pokemon while keeping the thugs from escaping with Psychic.

"Do you have any rope?" She asked her.

"N-no." May replied.

Yohana thought quickly before grabbing Gloom's pokeball and releasing him. "Gloom, use Sleep Powder on those two thugs!"

_(Yes, Yohana.)_ Gloom replied, obeying.

Soon, the two thugs were laying on the ground, fast asleep.

"I'll get the police." May said.

"Don't tell them everything. I don't want them knowing that I'm a Psychic and Ash can stop a bullet." Yohana told her.

"Ash can what?" May asked, spinning around to look at Ash, who took this as his cue to sit up.

_(ASH! HOW DARE YOU LET ME BELIEVE YOU WERE DEAD?! DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE HOW I FELT?!)_ Pikachu yelled, although, to May and Max, he sounded like he was just saying his name.

Ash flinched. "Sorry, Pikachu. I had to make it believable."

Pikachu Thunderbolted him in anger. _(That's for letting me believe you were dead!)_

"S-sorry… Pikachu…" Ash mumbled, falling over from the electrocution.

Yohana and May giggled at the sight.

"May, police." Max reminded his sister.

May nodded. "Right, be right back." She ran off.

The smile slipped off Yohana's face. _"Ash, we need to get out of sight."_

"_Because of the police? Okay. Just let me tell Max."_ Ash replied. "Max, Yohana and I will be right back, okay? We won't go far."

"What if they wake up?" Max asked.

Ash glanced at Yohana. _"He's right. We can't just leave him. I'll stay. You can go around the corner and watch from safety."_

Yohana returned the glance unsurely. _"I'm not just going to leave you out here alone. I'm staying too."_

"You're right, Max. We'll stay with you." Ash said, confusing the younger boy.

"Okay…" Max said.

May returned with the police a few minutes later.

"So those thugs attacked you and tried to steal your pokemon?" Lilycove City Officer Jenny asked.

"Yes, and they tried to kill my little brother, but our friends Ash and Yohana got here in time and Ash knocked my little brother out of the way." May explained. "Then, they fought off the thugs and Yohana's Gloom knocked them out with Sleep Powder."

Lilycove City Officer Jenny nodded in understanding. "Those two are actually wanted by the police for multiple murders and thefts. You kids were lucky not to get hurt. Anyways, thank you for your help. They won't bother you again."

She and her fellow officers carted the two thugs off to jail, leaving Ash, Yohana, May, and Max by themselves in the alleyway.

May and Max turned to Ash and Yohana, wanting answers.

"How did you survive that shot, Ash?" Max asked. "You were bleeding and…"

"Yohana's a psychic." Ash answered. "And I can use aura. The bleeding was just an illusion and I put up a shield to stop the bullet from hitting me. We didn't want the thugs to know that though, so we pretended."

"That makes sense. It also explains how Yohana managed to keep the thugs from escaping and disabled the gun." May said. "What I don't get is… what's aura?"

"Aura is the essence inside all living beings, pokemon and human alike. I have the ability to manipulate aura and it's helped me out a lot." Ash explained.

"Okay. Next question. Why did you _really_ leave the café in such a hurry?" Max asked.

Ash and Yohana exchanged glances.

"That really doesn't matter. Why were you following us?" Yohana replied.

"Because Mom wanted us to bring you some cinnamon rolls she'd bought." May said simply.

"Oh. That was nice of her." Yohana said.

There was an awkward silence.

"Let's head to the Pokemon Center. It's safer there than it is out in an alleyway with sunset approaching." Ash said.

They headed towards the Pokemon Center, but their path was suddenly blocked by some people in red uniforms with big 'M's on their shirts.

They quickly turned around to find they were surrounded.

Ash and Yohana cursed under their breath as they, along with May and Max, stood with their backs to each other.

Seconds later, they were tied together and thrown into a truck.

The 'M' people climbed in after them.

The truck roared to life as they were taken far away from Lilycove City onto their next big adventure.


	20. Yet Another Escape

"So…" One of the 'M' people said to Yohana, Ash, May, and Max. "Looks like you've been caught. What have you got to say for yourselves?"

"What do you want from us?" May asked.

"You and the little boy will be held for ransom. Aura boy and girl with pokemon powers here will be working for us." The 'M' person who had already spoken told them.

"Girl with pokemon… Yohana? What's he talking about?" May asked.

Yohana sighed. "It's a long story. They've got their facts wrong."

"So… you haven't told your friends about your powers… interesting…" The same 'M' person sneered, circling the four. "Well, you have told one of them, haven't you?" He lifted Ash's face up by putting a finger under his chin. "You've told Aura boy." Ash bit his finger. "Ow! Son of a… You'll regret that, Aura boy!"

"My name's not Aura boy! It's Ash!" Ash growled.

The 'M' person slapped him across the face. "Quiet, brat! You're not in the position to make comments!"

"Leave him alone, you jerk!" Yohana yelled, twisting around as best she could in an attempt to see Ash, who was directly behind her. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

The 'M' person sneered again. "You may have defeated Team Rocket with your powers, girl, but you won't defeat us. I assure you that you won't bring Team Magma down."

May's and Max's eyes widened at that statement.

"So that's what the 'M' stands for." Ash mumbled. "What a bunch of fools thinking we can't bring them down."

He was slapped again for his comment. "I told you to be quiet, Aura boy. One more comment and I'll kill the two we don't need."

Ash was silent after that.

"Now, girl with pokemon powers, you are to follow our every command if you don't want your friends to suffer, understand?" The 'M' person, aka Team Magma grunt or TM grunt, demanded.

Yohana was silent for a few moments, before saying. "Yes sir."

"Good girl. Now, we want you to call Groudon, understand?" The Team Magma grunt told her.

"But I don't know how to do that!" Yohana cried in panic.

The TM grunt whipped out an electric Taser and jammed it against Ash's side. The boy screamed in pain.

"ASH!" Yohana yelled, not able to see what was going on, but trying to look. "Leave him alone!"

The Team Magma grunt pulled away the Taser for a moment. "Are you going to call Groudon?"

"I would, but I don't know how!" Yohana said. "Please! Don't hurt him just because I don't know how to do something!"

"Use your psychic powers or something. You can do it." A different TM grunt said.

The first TM grunt agreed. "Do it, girl, or your friend feels the pain."

He jabbed Ash with the Taser again, resulting in more screaming.

Yohana felt horrible. She had to do something!

She saw the knot to their ropes nearby to her right and used her psychic powers to untie it.

The ropes fell loose and Yohana got up, yanked the Taser out of the TM grunt's hand, and jabbed it against the TM grunt, who scrambled backwards to get away.

Ash was laying on the floor of the van unconscious. Yohana scurried over to him, while turning the Taser off and putting it in her pocket for later use.

"Ash! Ash, wake up!" She yelled. The boy didn't respond. Yohana turned angrily towards the TM grunts. "You made a big mistake doing that to him. I'm going to make sure you regret it for the rest of your short lives."

She formed an Energy Ball and threw it at the TM grunts. They dodged and the Energy Ball created a gaping hole in the back of the van.

"I know it's not the best thing to jump out of a moving car, but let's go!" May shouted.

Yohana freed Pikachu and Leafeon, scooped up Ash, and jumped out of the back of the van, followed by May and Max and Pikachu and Leafeon.

The van did a U-turn and came after them. They ran into the forest.

Yohana pulled out her amulet as she ran and called for Mew.

When the playful pink pokemon appeared, she said. "Mew! Teleport us back to Lilycove City!"

_(On it!)_ Mew said.

The group disappeared in a bright light and reappeared on the edge of town.

"Thanks, Mew. You can go back to whatever you were doing now." Yohana said.

_(No problem.)_ Mew replied and left.

"Was that a legendary pokemon?" May asked.

Yohana didn't answer. She ran as fast as she could to the Pokemon Center with Ash.

May and Max arrived a little later to find her pacing back and forth in the waiting area, fidgeting nervously with her hands.

May glanced at the clock and gasped. "Max! It's 7:00! We were supposed to meet Mom and Dad at the hotel for dinner an hour ago!"

"Uh-oh! Let's go!" Max said.

"Yohana, we have to go, but let us know how Ash is doing when we get back." May called to Yohana as she and Max hurried towards the front door of the Pokemon Center. Yohana just nodded silently, not really caring about them right now, only caring about Ash.

She sat down, still fidgeting. Nurse Joy came out a few minutes later.

"He'll be okay." Nurse Joy assured Yohana. "He's got a couple of bad burns, but he'll be all right. Can you tell me what happened?"

Yohana explained everything, leaving out what the kidnappers wanted, her powers, and Mew. She showed Nurse Joy the Taser she'd taken from their captors and explained that it had been used on Ash.

"That explains the burns alright. Don't you fret, dear. Your friend will be back to normal before you know it." Nurse Joy said when Yohana was finished.

Yohana nodded and asked. "May I see him?"

Nurse Joy agreed and led her to the room where Ash was laying, still unconscious. His shirt was off and his chest bandaged.

Yohana sat down and watched him sadly. So much had happened since they'd met up with each other again and she'd hardly gotten the chance to just watch him or just talk to him. When they'd last been able to rest in Kanto, they'd been worried about Ash's friends and family, waiting for news of their location. Earlier today, they'd been interrupted from their relaxation by the news report about Team Rocket. Had that really been earlier today? It seemed so much longer…

And now, Ash was hurt again. When would they catch a break? Every criminal organization in the world seemed to be after them.

She thought about what the Team Magma grunts had asked of her earlier. Why would they want to summon Groudon? What made them think she could do so? Well, she could, but that was beside the point.

She reached a hand out and caressed Ash's face. He definitely didn't deserve this. She had been the one to pull him into this and it had not been on purpose.

"Yohana, you have a call on Line 1." Nurse Joy called.

Yohana left the room to answer it. It was Celadon City Officer Jenny.

"Yohana, we've found out that my cousin, who supposedly kidnapped you, was not actually the one who did it. It was a Team Aqua agent disguised as my cousin. Knowing your abilities, I have a question for you." Officer Jenny said.

"Yes?" Yohana asked.

"Are you up for a rescue mission?"


	21. Yet Another Rescue Mission

It had been a couple of days since Yohana had agreed to Officer Jenny's request on the condition that she be able to wait until Ash was better. Of course, she'd then had to explain what happened to Ash, but that was no bother. It turned out Celadon City Officer Jenny had to wait until the origin of the distress signal her cousin had sent was located anyways.

Ash was finally recovered and ready to go on the mission. He still winced a little when his burns were touched, but he was able to walk and run.

Finally, the two kids received another call from Celadon City Officer Jenny. Fuchsia City Officer Jenny had been located. She was in a Team Aqua base deep underwater. The police in Lilycove City were going to help with the mission, but they were only there to distract Team Aqua while Yohana and Ash snuck in and freed Fuchsia City Officer Jenny.

Of course, when they met with the police in Lilycove City, it was obvious the police weren't expecting to be counting on two kids.

"You've got to be kidding me! Kids?! You sent kids?!" Lilycove City Officer Jenny yelled at Celadon City Officer Jenny over the phone.

"You haven't seen what these kids can do, Officer Jenny. Trust me. They can get the job done." Celadon City Officer Jenny said calmly.

Lilycove City Officer Jenny sighed. "Alright. I'll trust you on this one, but those kids better be as good as you say or I'll get you for this."

Celadon City Officer Jenny nodded in satisfaction. "They won't let you down. Now good luck. We're counting on you."

Lilycove City Officer Jenny sighed again as Celadon City Officer Jenny hung up. Then, she turned to face Ash and Yohana.

"I trust you've dealt with stuff like this before?" She asked.

The two nodded.

"We found everyone before the police did." Yohana told her proudly before admitting. "We couldn't have done it without their help though."

Lilycove City Officer Jenny sighed a third time. "I guess I'm going to have to trust Officer Jenny's judgment. Follow me to the submarines. We'll have the mission briefing there."

Ash and Yohana trailed after her as she led the way to the submarine. The plan that was announced was that the police would enter the base first in a large submarine. Then, Ash and Yohana would follow in a smaller submarine and sneak past the guards while they're distracted by the police. Then, they would find Fuchsia City Officer Jenny and escape in the small submarine. Once they were a safe distance away, they would send a signal to the police, who would then make their own escape.

Several officers questioned the logic of relying on two kids, but they were just told to wait for the kids to prove their abilities in the field.

**Later…**

"I'm starting to get dizzy. Are you sure you don't want me to drive, Yohana?" Ash said.

"I'm pretty sure I've got the hang of it now." Yohana said, steadying the submarine.

"Please, no more spinning." Ash mumbled.

They watched the bigger submarine enter the base and waited three minutes before following.

Everything was going according to plan. The guards were distracted and the way into the base was clear.

Of course, their good fortune didn't last long. Two Team Aqua grunts grabbed at the two kids. They managed to grab Ash, but Yohana slipped out of their reach.

"_Yohana, go on ahead. I'll handle them."_ Ash told Yohana telepathically.

"_Are you sure?"_ Yohana asked, slipping out of the grunt's reach once again.

Ash grinned. _"Don't you fret. I'll be done with them in a moment."_

"_Okay…"_ Yohana replied uneasily. She ran around the corner. The grunt not holding Ash chased her, but was taken out by an Aura Sphere.

Yohana stopped short when she heard the gunshot. _"Ash! Ash, answer me!"_

To her relief, her friend responded immediately. _"She got my leg, but I'll be fine. I've knocked her out so she can't hurt me anymore. Keep going. I'll meet you back at the submarine."_

"_I can't just leave you!"_ Yohana was desperate to go back and help, but she knew Ash wouldn't let her.

"_I'll be fine, Yohana. Officer Jenny needs you. I'll be at the submarine when you get back."_ Ash assured her.

Still reluctant, but knowing there was nothing she could do at the moment, Yohana ran on.

After taking out thirty plus guards, she finally reached the prison area of the base. It didn't take long for her to find Officer Jenny; her vibrant blue hair really stood out in the gray prison cell.

Yohana broke open the prison cell, catching Officer Jenny's attention.

"Come on. Out." Yohana said.

Realizing this was her rescue team, Officer Jenny scrambled to her feet and followed Yohana towards the submarine. Over halfway there, they came across a puddle of blood. Little droplets a few feet away led in the direction of the submarine.

Officer Jenny almost stopped to investigate, but Yohana grabbed her arm and took off, not stopping until they reached the submarine. Team Aqua grunts were swarming it, struggling to open the hatch that Yohana prayed was locked tightly.

She quickly took out the grunts and pounded on the hatch. "Ash! Open up! It's us!"

They heard someone fumbling about and the hatch finally opened.

"H-hurry up… G-get in…" Ash fell off the ladder, looking pale. He was still awake, but he had lost a lot of blood.

Officer Jenny and Yohana climbed in and found the First Aid kit laying wide open. Ash had obviously been trying to care for his own injury, but it would take more than cleaning and bandaging to heal that wound.

"Let me see it." Yohana said, getting down on her knees next to Ash, whose lower right pant leg, sock, and shoe were coated in blood. His shirt was lying beside him, completely red from being used in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Officer Jenny sealed and locked the hatch.

Yohana peeled away the red bandages Ash had wrapped around his leg and winced at the sight of the nasty wound. "Officer Jenny, get us out of here. I'll do what I can for Ash."

Officer Jenny glanced at the two worriedly, but followed her savior's orders.

A light filled the submarine and the chiming of a gentle bell could be heard.

Officer Jenny glanced back to see that Yohana was the one causing it. She was literally healing Ash's leg.

Officer Jenny shook her head to clear it and drove the submarine out of the base.

The chiming stopped and Yohana caught her breath.

She stumbled over to Officer Jenny and grabbed the walkie-talkie laying nearby.

"Officer Jenny, we're out. We'll meet you at the police station in a little while." She said, contacting Lilycove City Officer Jenny.

"Alright. We're on our way." Lilycove City Officer Jenny replied.

Yohana put down the walkie-talkie and went back to tending to Ash.

"I can sew up his wound and all, but he needs blood as soon as possible." She said. "Ash, you're going to be alright. Officer Jenny and I will get you to a hospital."

Ash closed his eyes. "Mm-kay…"

"Ash, I need you to stay awake. Don't fall asleep on me, okay?" Yohana said. Ash didn't answer. "Ash! Don't fall asleep on me! I need you awake!" Ash still didn't answer. "Officer Jenny! Help me!"

Officer Jenny glanced back. "The only thing we can do for him is get him to a hospital as soon as possible."

Yohana watched her friend worriedly. How much could happen in a span of just a few months? A lot, it seemed.

A tear streaked down her cheek and she briefly considered calling Celebi to help heal Ash again, but she didn't want to bother her.

**An hour later…**

Yohana held Ash's hand as he slept. Fuchsia City Officer Jenny had gone to the police station to meet the Lilycove City police and tell them what happened.

"He'll be fine, dear. He's just resting. He lost a lot of blood." A nurse told her.

Yohana sighed. "I know, but I'm still worried."

"You have a right to be. He is hurt, after all, and it will be a month or two before his leg heals." The nurse said. "But he'll live and he'll be back on his feet before you know it."

Yohana nodded. "Yeah. You're right, but I won't be able to relax until he wakes up."

The nurse nodded in understanding and left the room.

"Ash, please wake up. I'm worried about you." Yohana whispered.

"Um… knock knock…" Yohana heard May's voice behind her and turned to greet her and Max.

"We heard about what happened. Is he going to be okay?" Max asked.

"I think so. He hasn't woken up yet, though." Yohana replied. "The doctors say he lost a lot of blood and his body needs time to adjust to the donated blood we gave him." She rubbed the back of Ash's hand with her thumb. "I'm worried. This isn't the first time such a thing has happened in the past few months."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"He spent a long time recovering from a wound before we ended up in Hoenn. That wound was caused by Team Rocket. They shot him because I wouldn't work for them, but the police arrived in time to stop the bullet from killing him." Yohana explained.

"And then there was the Taser a few days ago." May added. "And now this. It seems he's been through a lot."

"And it's all because he's my friend. If he wasn't hanging around me, this wouldn't have happened. It seems even staying in touch with him over the years was turned against me before we met up again." Yohana said sadly.

"How?" Max asked.

"They kidnapped Ash to get me to work for them, but I came up with a plan to get him out. After all that's happened, I have to admit that I find it a miracle he's still alive. Not that I'm upset about that, but…" Yohana said.

"But…" Max urged.

"But I hate that he's in so much danger! And that it's my fault he's in so much danger!" Yohana finished.

"It'll be okay, Yohana. Ash will wake up soon and then you'll be able to go back to Kanto and continue your journey or whatever you were doing." May said.

Yohana shook her head. "We can't do that. It's too dangerous. We have to defeat Team Aqua and Team Magma and whatever other teams are after us before we go back on our journey. Problem is, I'm not sure Ash is up to it…"

"Well, I doubt he'll let you go alone." May commented. "He…"

May was interrupted by a groan. Ash was starting to come to.

An expression of relief passed over Yohana's face. As long as Ash was awake, he'd be okay.

Unfortunately, their good fortune was not to last since Team… Wait a minute… That's not Team Aqua _or_ Team Magma! These people have a 'G' on their shirts!

Anyways, Team 'G' burst in and grabbed three out of four kids (Max managed to hide under the bed in the nick of time.) Then, they dragged the three they'd seen into a helicopter and took off for the Team 'G's home region.

**(A/n) And now… to the Sinnoh Region with May along for the ride! Man, they weren't in Hoenn for very long. Don't worry! They'll come back to Hoenn later! Who is Team 'G'? If you've seen the Sinnoh Saga of the anime, you already know! Sorry for not updating sooner! Everyone hates that stupid writer's block! (A/n)**


End file.
